category five

a gale wind blew
a category five passed
he raised himself from the floor
brushing away imaginary debris
where was his pride
where was his backbone
when had he become
nothing more than a
living, breathing
doormat

too many moments
of being beat down
being told you are wrong
every decision questioned
every thought ridiculed
before long
the inside of a shell
begins to look good
a place of sanctuary
where sanity
can be preserved

problems lie
within the arguments
themselves
his ego never large
allowed for errs
within his judgment
cracks in his assumptions
when the being opposite
does not allow
for their own human failures
the argument becomes
a circle
never ending
a merry-go-round filled
with meaningless words
going nowhere fast
leaving casualties
in its wake

beyond each explosion
he was left
with a feeling
just this side
of helplessness
before long
silence was golden
boarding up his psyche
against the coming storm
this was assumed
to be capitulation
unconditional surrender
when reality was
love had been torn asunder
and he no longer cared