Becca Menon

THE WIFE OF PAIN*

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I’ve learned deceptiveness since he moved in:
How to distract him from a brutal rage or try
To trick his jealous need for all of my
Attention — yet defend him when I grin
Contentedly for loved-ones who suspect
His secret violence; to take the blame
For something that I’ve done or some neglect
That sets him off, and hide the sticky shame
I feel for letting him destroy my life.
And while it never stops confounding me
To realize that it’s true I am his wife,
There’s one thing that I face with honesty:
          Because it was by illness we were wed,
          This demon, Pain will always share my bed.

 

*First pubished in Poetry Life & Times

 

Known for her musical storytelling craft, Becca Menon is an author of several books of verse narrative based largely in myth fairy tale, folklore and Scripture. Her writings have been hailed internationally from India and the Middle East to Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in the United States. Come listen to actors read selections, and discover some surprises at Becca Books.