Zooline

Your house was dumplings with bones in it
Cautious hugs, fresh grass smells and gravel in my flesh
I was commended for my toughness
You were proud and I was your favorite
You hung me a tire swing
And kept him away from me
Your neighbor's orchard and mean Shetland ponies
You handed praise out with vinegar
And hatred with sugar
You broke my little sister's heart
Continously as you did with all the others
Without apology
But you never directly hurt me.
Sliced cucumbers on your front porch and swords from your garden
Christmas and the way my daddy loved you
Just like all the kids did until they knew.
You ruined so many hearts and lives you took them so early before they needed any guards from pain
You kept them there under your thumb, under the guise of mama or grand mama
You taught them to fight like the dogs you saw
Chained them to torment
Called it love
You spoke flowery, sweet words and wrapped them around your venom
Some never knew happy
A few saw you as you were
They fled from your grasp
A few lived to and through what you were
Blood stains, sweat, tears, bone on flesh and pure hate smeared lives
Left in the bottom of a bottle
Of alcohol, cocaine, heroin, pills, a gun.
Wasted breath
Wasted heartbeats
Wasted tears
Wasted years of love
Wishing it were truly possible for you to truly know
What love was
Wishing for you to love us.