Blue Ribbon

He used to call her "my prize"
Among other names not quite dear
And in time she came to despise
That nickname she'd constantly hear

He used to be overly concerned
With her exterior appearance
He eroded her self-esteem, with
His incessant demanding insistence

Like the way that she wore her hair
And even her public demeanor
Not that he really cared
For he truly did not see her

The amount of pounds that she carried
Had increased from the day they first met
She weighed far more now they were married
A fact he would not let her forget

He criticized how she talked
And even her table manners
He scrutinized the way she walked
With disconcerting candor

He didn't fully appreciate
Her mind or her sense of humor
Those facets he couldn't see
Were to him like whispered rumors

She was actually quite attractive
But how much is ever enough
For a meticulous mind overactive
With constant comparisons so rough?

She was beautiful like a bounteous season
But his eyes couldn't see that deeply
And if you can't judge character with reason
Then how can you possibly reap it?

He couldn't see past the surface
Nor catch a glimpse of what was inside
And one day when she gathered her courage
What she felt she could no longer deny

He had totally ruined her self-worth
With his "love" that was actually lies
She was living in hell on earth
And she left him, was that any surprise?