5.8.01

i woke up at five this morning to the sound of screams and shouts coming from the street. hooligans, i assumed at first, but it occurred to me that the noises had gone on too long to be jovial. now fully awake, i lay in bed trying to identify what i was hearing. i opened my window and the muffled sounds became sobs. i started to think about calling the police, wondering what i would tell them. i got up and went into the living room and the voices were louder. as i was peering down the street trying to identify where the voices were coming from, two cop cars pulled up – evidently some other neighbor had called first, to my relief. across the street a figure was hugging the lamppost and sobbing – i don’t think i’ve ever heard anyone sob that loud. i could hear her through the closed windows of my room, which is on the backside of the house. the words were mostly unintelligible; the only phrase i did discern was “and then he poured alcohol on me…”. domestic violence sucks. to say that man has an inherently violent nature is a cop-out. it’s time we start evolving into peaceful creatures – by teaching our children alternate ways to solve disputes, by ending the glorification of weapons and violence in the media, and by having a zero tolerance policy for men who beat their wives.