Needs unmet when most needed.
Safety compromised. Self taken
Away without consideration. The
Unwavering hand dispensing justice.
Mouth open, stuffed with a benevolent
Rag. Stirring below, the memory of
What might have been. Order before
Love.
He remembers a time
When he assumed that
What he was saying
Mattered, that it was
Being taken into account,
Considered as important
In some way, part of the
General decision-making
Process that occurs
In a family, then
The day came when
He realized his words
Had no weight at all.
Fail your own children,
But pamper theirs and
Tend to their every need.
A paragon of caring and
Virtue. A smarmy interloper
Peddling love and kindness.
Never acknowledge past
Shortcomings, bask in the
Glow of unconditional regard
From innocents too young to
Realize who you really are.
A second chance to
Pat yourself on the back.
Furtively erase responsibility,
Edit the record.
An uneasy sense
Of impending dread
Permeates her being.
She got the inevitable call,
The one where they unilaterally
Announce they’re coming.
Time to clean too much
So that no ill-advised
Comments are uttered.
Always such a pleasure
To have them inevitably
Descend upon her.
He relives not only
The trauma,
But also the expectation
That it remain a secret
So as not to blemish a
False image of respectability,
Along with being told
It was his fault
In the first place,
That situations like this
Are normal anyway,
Forcibly wiring his forming brain,
Ensuring a lifetime of torment.
