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Life

13th Feb 2019

Valentine’s Day poem has a very different meaning when you read it backwards

Jade Hayden

“What does he love about me?”

A poem about Valentine’s Day has a very different meaning if you read it from bottom to top.

The piece, shared by domestic abuse charity Refuge, first shares the story of a couple who are so desperately in love that they can’t keep their hands off one another.

Then when read backwards, the poem details a relationship marked by physical abuse, control, and emotional manipulation.

Read it below first from top to bottom – and after the opposite way.

Refuge released the reversible poem, ‘My Husband, My Lover,’ ahead of February 14 to shine a light on the fact that domestic violence and physical abuse can happen on any day of the year.

They released a similar series of poems around Christmas time last year about a couple’s first festive season together, and a father who assaults a mother in front of their children during the festive season.

If you are worried about the signs associated with domestic abuse, you can check out the Women’s Aid website here or contact the charity on 1800 341 900.