Tag: anger

the cries of a young boy go unheeded
his innocence questioning why love hurts
why is he to blame
always

his reddened body
and damaged psyche
aches
at the prospect of another beating

his mother
another pawn
sidelines her nurture
for her own peace

the child twice unlucky
lives out a horror-filled childhood
but with determined endurance
his strength gets him thru his familial hell

at the tender age of sixteen
grasping sweet freedom
in the ball of his fist
he holds back the final strike

quieting his monster
embarrassing the beast’s over-blown stature
it shook the cowardly aggressor
finally

there was peace
a respite from the violence
a start of healing
yet the dysfunction lingered

the home, always a yelling place
a source of constant dissatisfaction
coupled with emotional abuse
the father found other ways to injure

it was only a few more years
then the young man’s escape became possible
finally living on his terms
had begun in earnest

he peeled off the pain
saved himself and forged a future
promising himself to live a better life
he tried

one marriage in and down
the second one brewing for a storm
the dysfunction of the past not quite gone
just carried forward

he’d survived
but had not shed the poison within
still imprinted deep
was the darkness of the monster

not expunged, as thought
only resurfaced in time
the complete healing
required reflection and resolution

steadfast and enduring love saved him
pushing him to face his demons
and asking forgiveness of those he’d broken
just as he had been