Chained

I told him a story about a woman

Tricked into marriage with the enemy

Disowned and shunned by her family.

Abused to the greatest extent possible

Raped and tied to a tree

No break in between beatings

Her children locked in the basement

Out of her sight, out of her grasp

The ringing of their soft voices in her memory alone

Disconnected from their heritage and culture

All because she ran away

Disregarded her father's words

"Stay with your faith, and you will never be alone"

Her only moments of freedom were when she was forced to pray

To a g-d to whom she had nothing to say

When she approached him with a request for divorce

His language once again became coarse

As he lifted a knife to her neck

And mercilessly watched his wife's terrified wreck.

"The day you divorce is the day you die

Before you speak again, keep this in mind"

Trapped she retreated to the corner of the room

Contemplating what she should do

If death was the only way out, then she wanted in

But only once she found safety for her children.

She spoke to her mother in law

Who told her that it was only for their own flaws

That their husbands had to discipline them.

She told her it was a gift beyond what she could fathom.

Trembling she grasped a phone in her hand

And dialed the numbers of her home land

Her father's voice silently filled the air

And she choked as she told him she should have stayed there

At first he was hostile, to him she was dead

But once hearing her despair, he solemnly said:

"May G-d give you the strength to last a bit longer

So your children can be united with their mother"

With that he hung up and she continued to cry

And in her heart she told her children goodbye

As she heard footsteps approaching the door

And she dropped the phone in

 the utmost horror.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the door swung open

And stood up to acknowledge the man who'd stormed in.

But to her astonishment, a woman stood by her side

She nodded and looked her fellow sister in the eyes

As a soldier broke down the basement door

And two starving children collapsed onto the floor.

Their mother ran to them and held them tight,

She assured them that everything would be alright.

Time was of the essence so the soldier rushed them out

They climbed into a jeep and drove away from the house.

They all held their breath as they drove undetected

And once they crossed the border, a tent was erected.

The woman stepped out of the jeep holding her childrens' hands

And met the tear stained face of an elderly man.

She wept in her fathers embrace

As he saw for the first time, his grandchildren's face.

The feeling of liberation was the sweetest she ever knew

And she watched with delight as her two children grew

In the home of her parents, adapting her faith

She never thought her life would have so much grace.

I looked at the man sitting across the table,

I told him, "What I just told you is no fable.

What would you say if that woman was me?"

He responded under our wedding canopy

"Behold you are holy to me"