I was in an abusive relationship with my Iranian husband from 1981 to 2002 (from 1997 - 2002 we were separated after I fled him with our two children from Iran). Me and my children were forced to live in Iran for ten years, after my ex abducted our daughter there while I was out-of-state at a family funeral. In order to be with her, I had no choice but to go to Iran myself. We had no way to escape his cruelty, and no where to turn. In Iran, wife (and child) battery was accepted, and blamed on the woman. My mother-in-law advised me to be submissive and never complain. This poem comes from all those years of abuse and being told I'd never set foot in the US again, or ever see my family. The most oft-repeated phrase by him was ""Your grave will be in Iranian dirt!" I set out to shatter that prophesy, and me and my children are now safe, back in the US.

3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

My Facebook and MySpace accounts