he wears her like
the badge of honorable
abuse....
silently listening
to her rantings,
picking her up
when she falls.
layers of anger
misdirected to him....
yet he takes the blame
without complaining,
and keeps on.....
till too long ignored,
too long in the silence...
he walks out the door,
without a word.
love's not a badge,
not even a cross...
it's a highway
that must be walked
together!
Eric Cockrell
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-badge/