Love's Cry

"I have been brutally bitten, beat, burned, and spit in my face. Scared for my life by a man emotionally. It’s been very very hard for me to get over. I love your poem. I’m gonna listen to it every day.” Michelle 
 
When I read in the New York Daily News that former Miss Italy Contestant Gessica Notaro's ex-boyfriend had thrown acid in her face and she might go blind, as if her being attacked might not be merely enough violence to warrant a headline, as domestic violence is now so commonplace, I was galvanized to write a poem. Or put another way, the poem was galvanized to have me write it. I had been reading of women being assaulted and murdered by their ex-boyfriends, lovers and husbands for years. I found myself within the last six months saving articles about women being hurt and killed. All the stories of these women, those pain filled words and images stirred wildly inside me. A chaos trying to form itself into some kind of meaning and purpose, that could be shared with self and others. This is how “Love’s Cry” entered the world. It is a poem about domestic violence that has such powerful energy. The sickness of emotional and physical violence must stop. It must be prevented from ever happening. I am a poet, a child psychiatrist, and a humanism in medicine awardee. Of all that I have ever done, I am most proud of Love's Cry. Please do what you can to help Love's Cry be heard around the world. Thank you!