"THE PRICE FOR MY LOYALTY"

(Note: This is not about me. I accepted a poetry challenge from a friend through someone else’s story. The one given to me is about a young woman who grew up in poverty and with lack of (or limited) educational opportunities. She grew up and married a man who turned out to be a drug-dealer.

When he fled, she was left with his stash and got arrested by the police – pregnant with her third child. Her other two had to be taken care of by grandparents. The husband had been a fugitive for a while, until caught by the police using drugs. He was with another woman a that time, not caring about the wife who had sacrificed for him.

When the woman learned about her husband’s affair, she changed her statement and decided to work with the police in incriminating her husband.)

I’ve been taught wrong

since I was young

They said: “Obey your husband,

the king of the house.”

It didn’t matter what he did

as long as the money was in his pocket

and you were well-fed

Never argue, never question

or it would be worse.

So I did what I was taught

A good wife was bound for heaven, without a doubt

Who knew he’d leave me here to rot

after I’d defended him

in the name of love and loyalty

I’m paying for his crimes

and perhaps my own,

for my lack of power and knowledge

I’m doing time,

so he’d be off the hook

Here’s the price for my loyalty:

He was off with another woman,

completely over me

Still, committing the same old crimes

had finally put him behind the bars

No more love from me

which had cost me our babies

Screw loyalty!

I’d like to bury you in your greed

They can say I’m playing the victim,

but what the hell do they know anyway?

I hope my kids will have a better fate

unlike me – and their father I hate

I don’t have to play victim

because I am,

but I’m also a survivor.

When the time comes,

I shall thrive to get better.

R.