Domestic Violence is Real

**Trigger warnings: References to domestic violence and sexual assault.**

Title Credits: Domestic Violence is Real. Poem by Linette Rabsatt. Performed by Sue Cook. Directed and edited by Rita Mock-Pike for the MockingOwl Roost.

Domestic Violence is real!
Do you know how it feels?
This is an appeal
For us to
STOP THE HATE,
STOP THE RAPE;
Keep our hands to our side,
Keep our conscience as our guide.
Let’s cut the financial chokeholds,
Let’s cut the real strangleholds,
It’s time to stop our daughters from being sold.
It’s time to stop putting our children out in the cold,
Because domestic violence is real!
Do you hear the me, the she, the he, the we?
Do you understand how we feel?
It’s time to stop the violence;
It’s time to stop the nonsense
And use common sense —
‘Cause this feels
Too real.
And the time is NOW – it’s time to heal.
Because Domestic Violence is real!

At the MockingOwl Roost we are incredibly aware of the dangers and the physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual harm many have experienced at the hands of abusers in all environs. We see you. We hear you. We long for your well-being and healing.

If you are in any danger of abuse and reading this, we encourage you to reach out to one of the national and international hotlines to receive support and assistance. You are worthy of love, health, and healing. You deserve to be free of these painful relationships and harmful situations. Please reach out.

You are not alone.

We are not done. We will keep fighting. We will keeping speaking out against injustice.

• I Remember – Protest Poetry Reading
• “Dear Pastor Who Blamed Me for Being Abused” – Things I Wish I Had Said
• Helpline – Poetry
• Thank You God, I’m Leaving Here – Personal Essay
• Known – Poetry Reading
• Women Inspired – Women’s Inspiration
• Unconventional Choices – Things I Wish I Had Said

Linette Rabsatt

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Linette Rabsatt is a Virgin Islands poet with roots in the BVI and USVI who began writing in 1996. You can find her work in her 2023 Kindle book, "Be Inspired: Poems by Linette Rabsatt," on her blog, "Words of Ribbon," in "Virgin Islands Callaloo: Poems from the Caribbean," and on the Visual Verse website. She performs at local events, and online poetry readings and was recently nominated for a National Spoken Words Award for Best International Artist.

Find more from Linette on her blog.

• Linette Rabsatt

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