Almost four years before it’s believed she was murdered at the hands of her father, Katrina Miles penned a haunting poem about domestic violence.
The 35-year-old Western Australian mum, along with her four children Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Ayre, 10, and Kayden, eight, were shot dead in their beds on Friday morning. It’s suspected Peter Miles, 61, was the gunman, who then shot his wife Cynda before turning the gun on himself at their Margaret River property in an act of family violence.
The resurfaced poem, titled ‘I am battered not broken’, was first released by domestic violence campaign group Red Heart and shared on Facebook by Cynda in October 2014.
It speaks of "open handed fists" and verbal abuse with phrases typical of a violent partner, such as "No one would want you", "worthless" and "bitch".
"The shrieks of my children, the echo of my shouts, the thump of my dignity slammed against a wall, the odour of stale beer has a name called fear," one part reads.
It's not clear whether the poem is fictional or based on Katrina's lived experiences. However, in it the narrator asks "how can I be five places at once?" and references "my only daughter" and "three sons".
"I look in the young eyes that still love me. I ask myself, so ashamed, 'How can my children still love me?' I stayed so long, so long."
In a statement to media, Katrina's ex-partner and the father of their children, Aaron Cockman, said that he had been "cut off" from his kids for six months and blamed Peter and Cynda Miles for that.
You can read the full poem here:
I’m battered not broken
By Katrina Miles
I stare into the depths of my worries
The crease between the frown
The hollowness of my cheeks is an echo
My stomach beats to the litany of my hurts
Top Comments
As a survivor of domestic violence,the 4th verse sent chills up my spine.How well I remember the fear of the sound of my abuser's car pulling into the driveway.Never knowing what mood he would be in,how drunk he was or what terror might occur to me or the children that night.Yes. This woman might well have been a victim of domestic violence.
So very poignant. This woman didn't have a happy life for a long time and then, even that was taken from her.
It really highlights the importance of financial independence, although, I'm not sure how that would have been achieved alongside the care of four kids with autism.