Poem-Living in Fear When Protector Turns Predator-Response to Brenda Arledge’s Word Prompt Week 32-Fear

I love poetry. I am a voracious reader and am passionate about writing. I have recently started my foray into poetry.

Brenda’s Word Prompt Week 32-'Fear'

Brenda Arledge inspires us to keep up our creative enthusiasm flowing by giving us word prompts every week. She gave us the word prompt ‘Fear’ for week 32.

We all have fear of something or the other. Rarely can we find a person who is totally without fear. Fear of the dark, unknown, of dying is common. But there are people who live in constant fear for their life. It may be due to circumstances and situations or due to a dominating and abusive partner or controlling family members. They feel helpless and trapped and suffer in silence.

They feel that nobody would willing to help and do not confide in anyone about their fear. In some cases, the perpetrators are so decent and suave outwardly that nobody would believe what atrocities they are capable of on the weak and helpless. It is most distressing when the person who is supposed to protect turns into a predator and starts to torture the helpless person. At such times, the victims should not give in. They should pick themselves up and take steps to turn their lives around. But many times, these people are unable to do so due to various circumstances and situations that they are in.

Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.

— Judy Blume

Fear-An Acrostic Poem

Face the challenges with courage

Every defeat is a lesson learned

And every obstacle leads closer to the goal

Rise like the Phoenix and shine like the sun

Summary of the poem #2

This poem is about a girl who was innocent and trusted someone unthinkingly. She was a dreamer and expects love and happiness as she enters her new life with the man of her dreams. She believes in the grace of god to lead her to a life of happiness. She expects him to protect and cherish her. She soon realizes that the charm and polite behavior was a deceit to draw her into his web. As protector turns predator, her spirit, her psyche and her whole life is destroyed and she lives in continuous anxiety and fear. As she wonders what her mistake was, she understands that her blunder was to trust him blindly Her tears don’t move him and she wonders how anyone can be so callous.

This poem depicts the fear of the woman who is enticed by sweet talk and charming ways. Soon she realizes it was all a put on and his only purpose and joy is in torturing her. She feels that nobody would believe her if she told, so she keeps her fears to herself which only emboldens her perpetrator more. Feeling trapped she lives with her fears lamenting her fate crying every night.

She was free as a bird

Lived a life of gay abandon

Wishing for a true companion

To protect her like a champion.

She took a chance on love

Hoping for blessings from above

Thinking it was wise not to stall

She took the step risking it all.

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

— Plato

Dreaming of a home like heaven

She stepped into a world unknown

Putting everything of hers at stake

Expecting only love to partake.

But all she got was promises broken,

Love lost, trust shattered betrayal now open

Her tears only make him sneer

She lives a life of anxiety and fear.

Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway.

— Neil Gaiman

She remembered the day

When he came into her life

All charming suave and sure

Drawing her into his web of deceit.

She believed he would protect her

But he turned out to be a predator

Preying on her emotions, her spirit

Shattering her psyche, her being

She feels lost and lives in fear.

There comes a time when you have to plant your feet, look your fear in the face, and say: 'You don't get to control me anymore

— Mandy Hale

Where did she err, she wonders?

To trust him easily she blundered

Feeling lost, finding no way out

Hurt and broken she cries every night.

© 2021 VIDYA D SAGAR