Mayhem And Me Poem by Anna Travers

Many people think that they know me,

But they can’t see behind these eyes,

The pain that still goes on deep inside my heart,

But like Maya Angelo I will rise



I had fallen into the traps of society

A life that was stripping my worth

One half of me lived out on street corners

The other a young mum giving birth.



Often being kicked sworn and spat at

For my feelings nobody had any regard

I would try many ways to empower myself

While being a good mum was proving hard



A victim of abuse raising children,

With very little help and support

A classic example of this mayhem,

Of this violent world in which we are caught



I was becoming a product of society

Groomed into a world of violence and lies

Standing cold on street corners

Attracting men with my newly blacked eyes



Uneducated and on a path of rebellion

I saw excitement in a life of crime

Putting on a plastic smile and denial head,

Telling everyone my life was just fine



Slowly losing sight of all reality

Abuse and cruelty became a daily routine

But still I tried to be the best mum I could

While full of guilt and feeling so unclean



Many have called me a victim, fair enough

But I won’t be a victim in vain

I must stand up now as a mother against violence

So my children don’t see the past repeated again



I REFUSE to sit here and do nothing

That’s why I shared what’s behind my eyes

So that we all as women and mothers

Can stand together against this violence and RISE