The Time to Leave

When you get a black eye without applying kaajal,
When you become the pressure cooker in your kitchen,
When you start swallowing your pride at the dinner table,
When you feel like a wingless bird in a concrete cage,
When your chats with near and dear get monosyllabic,
When wails and whimpers become your signature tune,
When your only cocoon of comfort is your office cubicle,
When a kitchen knife becomes your weapon of self-defense,
When your smile hides more than it can reveal,
When you get your daily dose of salt from your tears,
When every knock on the door makes you quiver with fear,
When you’ve lost the key to your locked rage,
When your Adam eavesdrops on your telephone conversations,
When the word trust disappears from your lexicon,
When your tender skin discovers the fiery side of a cigarette butt,
When your wedding anniversary becomes a painful milestone,
When you begin to think you're a punching bag,
When the last thing you get is breathing space,
When you lose that last straw of self worth,
When life begins to look like a serial spook show,
When he wants to remote control your mind,
When he gets stingy with appreciation and liberal with criticism,
When he smells a conspiracy every time you cook food,
When he flushes your ego down the toilet,
When he arm-twists you into accepting his choice,
When he shushes you into hapless silence,
When he taxes you for earning money,
When he whips you almost daily with an acerbic tongue lash,
When he sows doubts about your sanity,
When he cons you into thinking you have nowhere to go…