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SISTER, I CARE by Krista Katrovas

This poem came out of my own understanding of the power of words…

How words house the ability to create pain, belittlement, and suffering, or how they also can be used to help uplift, inspire, and heal.

My poem ‘Sister, I Care’ is a personal message to a woman, or women, out there still trapped inside an abusive circle, with hopes of offering her comfort, love, and support, even if only through words. 

Sister, I Care.

It’s late,
almost everyone
I know is asleep,
if not
every body.
Yet I find myself
sitting in bed,
laptop on my legs,
needing to reach
someone I don’t know,
someone that needs to know,
they are loved
and worthy of more.

A woman,
somewhere out there,
perhaps outside
my time zone,
maybe in another state,
country,
or maybe, even,
within my own family.
She needs to hear
what I have to tell her.
I reach her through these keys,
pressing words
onto this page, screen,
to tell her
she is loved.

Love yourself enough to leave.

I’ve been there before
existing, not living,
feeling trapped,
inside
an abusive relationship,
where kind words from teachers,
from strangers in a store,
were enough
to send me crying
into public restrooms
because I’d grown so used
to hearing only mean words.

So used
to him defiling me,
his hateful words
killing me softly,
loudly,
growing more common
with each passing day,
though always matched
with apologies.

As if those hurtful words,
“cunt, bitch, whore,
worthless woman,”
were something I needed
reminding of.

Even though I no longer
live that way,
somewhere
another woman
does.

Maybe she
will read this,
Maybe she
will take in my words
replace his with mine,
allow them to act as salve,
balm, healing,
all that she may need.

You are worthy.
You are beautiful.
You matter.
And I care,
even though
I don’t know you,
Sister, I care,
and you are not alone.
~

Krista Katrovas (E-RYT) has dedicated herself to the practice, study and teaching of yoga since discovering it in 1999 after dancing rigorously as a dance major in college. Krista has had scores of articles on Yoga, Wellness, and Spirituality published in nationally regulated magazines. She has a regular column at Elephant Journal here. She has taught Yoga in Prague every July since 2009 and has been sought to teach in Kuwait, Canada, Virginia, California, Kentucky, and Florida. She calls Kalamazoo, Michigan home, where she teaches Yoga, Meditation, offers Spiritual guidance, and practices Shamanism. She has cats, though also loves dogs, all animals. Her power animal is the Snowy Owl. Visit her yoga website here.


~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~  

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