Vows

[71degrees]

After a man beats a woman,
he cannot see his own shame
hidden within his closed fist.
When he enters the house,
predetermined, front door
creaking like his own mother’s
faint and past pleading voice,
he listens to their bedsprings’ jangle
and feels compelled to drag
the woman, pulling her before the deep
witness of a mirror where he sees
his father’s face, a pig’s head,
confessing like Thomas what he can’t
believe he's done, not even
after his fingers probe
his own baffling wounds.

I like the feelings and imagery you create throughout the poem; very compelling and it sucks you in.
Your opening line, however, I'm not too fond of. This is likely just a personal preference thing, but when I'm reading poetry I like to work for the meanings and themes, to find them cleverly hidden within strong imagery and word choice. You do this well for the most part but your opening line gives it all away and I feel like that in a sense weakens everything that follows.

I agree…not too much "cleverly hidden" in that first line, is there? Thanks for your thoughts.