HOME SWEET HOME
I hid inside the shadows
Tears caressed my face
Time was frozen for eternity
As Dad smashed a vase.
A shiver ran up my spine
I tried to open my mouth
Dad just started hitting her
My mom, my friend, his spouse.
I don't know what happened
What did she do wrong?
All she did was lie there
Fighting to be strong.
If only she would come
Before the blood started to flow
Then we could hide together
Safe from daddy's awful blow.
I closed my eyes a coward
Frightened of what I might see
But the noise of hollers
Quickly awakened me
I peered to see daddy dear
His hands clenching mommy's hair
Blood streamed down his hands
A rage inside me flared.
She was the one who cared for me
There when I'm sick
I couldn't just lose her
Because of daddy's kick.
I ran out from hiding
My hands clenched in fists
Tears went streaming
The rest was just a mist
Now I'm here sitting
Me and my mom black and blue
Daddy's still with us
Why? I haven't got a clue.
I'm not supposed to tell
Of what I have just seen
But I'm afraid
Of what might have been
What if dad had killed us?
Who would have known?
I would have never believed
This could have happened in my own home.
by Keely Montgomery