She’s squatting in
This abandoned building
For the night,
Surrounded by strangers who
Have something in common.
She’d like to think that
Someone out there is
Worrying about her, but
She knows that it would
Only be for show, to make sure
The neighbors approve,
After all, they’re
The reason she’s out here.
It would have been nice
For someone to have asked him
A question on occasion,
See how he’s doing,
What he thinks,
Instead of the obligatory lectures.
Not a single instance
Where his voice was
Deemed important enough
To listen to,
A dreary one-way conversation
The only practice.
He learns how to
Feel unimportant.
Desperately trying to
Get away from them.
They don’t contemplate
Or comprehend anything
Beyond their immediate needs.
It was always this way,
One person’s wounds
Engulfing another,
Obscuring humanity,
Forced journey to the
Bottom of the well.
I used to have doors
They would barge in
Through and take away
Parts of who I was,
But I’ve closed them
For some time, much to
Their bewilderment.
They were taken aback when
The child spoke freely,
Unencumbered by strictures,
Joyfully sharing his experience.
It felt strange, uncomfortable
To them, but only until they
Realized he had been
Given the gift of a voice.
Once she was gone,
Everyone’s personality
Came into high relief,
Often with unpleasant
Ramifications.
No one could return
To how things used to be,
Struggling to function
In new roles they were
Ill-suited for.
Fraying at the edges
Leading to complete
Disintegration,
Personal needs severing
Fragile ties.
Hoping something would change
After all these years,
But it doesn’t and
Likely never will,
The need to hide
Vulnerability
More powerful than
Any other thing,
A pervasive lie
Buttressed by people
Caught in its grip.
It’s more than difficult
To reconcile how he treated
Us most of the year,
Keeping us in fear of when
His latest rage would cruelly
Descend upon us, and who
Would bear the brunt,
Keeping a watchful eye,
Avoiding anything that might
Set him off, and the peculiar
Joy he took in festooning the
House with lights during
The holiday season.
Lilly is the one who
Took away her son,
Stole her most
Cherished treasure,
Left her sobbing alone
Without her beloved
First-born, her best
Friend and confidant,
The one she poured
All her dreams and
Unfulfilled aspirations into.
To make up for this
Heinous affront,
Olivia proffers strategic
Gifts to the children,
A premeditated maneuver to
Regain control.
