Rescue Poems for Abused Women
New poetry collection from domestic violence survivor shares her journey from despair to healing.
Traverse City, Michigan—From 2005–10, Joan Meyers put pen to paper, scratching out words on a yellow legal pad through the medium of poetry, her deeply personal account of living in a marriage rife with spousal abuse and domestic violence. The decision to publish Fare-Thee-Well: Rescue Poems for Abused Women, Second Edition, from Mission Point Press was as an essential way of reaching out to women experiencing abuse, validating their experience, and offering hope. It has also proven to be a useful tool for mental health workers who deal with victims of abuse.
Here is an excerpt from one of the poems, “Indelible”:
“An essential part of me is dead
though the remainder of my body
lives on, longing to be healed
to erase the scar obscured from others
but knowing it can never be
the blight remains, lethal and indelible”
“The abuse took place over the many years of my marriage at a time when the word ‘abuse’ was not commonly used. It was a hidden away, in-the-closet experience. At that time there were no shelters, no victims’ groups. To the outside world I was a happy and fulfilled person, while at home I was living a secret life; it was as if I had a split personality,” Meyers noted.
On Healing and Friendship
Meyers’s stories began to surface while participating in writing workshops. “The poems in Fare-Thee-Well were written as they appeared in my consciousness a number of years after the abuse took place. I needed to revisit these grim moments, to account for them in some way. I initially created Fare-Thee-Well as a chapbook in 2011, selecting the poems from various volumes of my collected works,” Meyers said.
Meyers’s collaboration with illustrator Ron Huffman was the result of reconnecting with the artist whom she had known briefly while attending Michigan State University. This encounter took place many years later as she was just beginning to develop the idea of collecting her poetry into chapbooks. Huffman discovered a computer program that enabled him to produce the chapbooks and the two began to collaborate, print, and assemble the copies. The last of these was Fare-Thee-Well, which features his ink drawings. It was produced in 2011. Huffman passed away in 2014.
Hope
Reflecting on her journey, Meyers shared, “My field of work was mental health, primarily helping families of children with severe handicaps or experiencing death. While I could help others, I couldn’t help myself. Perhaps now I can by getting those feelings down on paper and offering abused women the hope that a road to freedom is possible.”
The Author
Joan Meyers has been writing poetry since childhood, with earlier works published in The Cliffs—Soundings, edited by Ed Gray. Her chapbooks were published by her personal press, Feather Press. In addition, she has handcrafted a number of poetry books, including Grief Poems and Capturing Truths—A Collection of Favorite Poems. With degrees in literature and mental health, she has worked as a special education teacher and counselor.
Rob Huffman (1934-2014) was the co-founder and editor of Feather Press. He studied art at Michigan State University. In addition to being a painter, Ron also wrote poetry and published several poetry collections.
The Book
Fare-Thee-Well: Rescue Poems for Abused Women, Second Edition
Joan Meyers
Illustrated by Ron Huffman
56 pages; 5.5 x 8.5 inches; B/W
Poetry, Domestic Abuse, Abused Women
ISBN: 978-1-961302-74-7, $19.95 (Hardcover)
Mission Point Press, November 21, 2024
Copies are available in bookstores. For more information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at feather812@aol.com.
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