Poem: Broken

Broken

He hit you

Again and again and again

Left bruises, scars

Emptied spirit bled dry in the unanswered questions of why

Your father

Who loved you

But how is it love; the beatings?

You hit me

Again and again and again

Left wounds, marks

Hollowed spirit sucked clean from the unquestioned answers of because

My father

Who loves me

And it is how it is; the beatings

I could hit him

Again and again and again

Leave bruises, wounds and scars

Destroy another in never-ending chains without questioning

A father

Who loves him

And it is love to say enough

Copyright SGW 2009

Footnote: Nothing about this poem is personal. My dad was the furthest from this as is possible, as was his father. I wrote this as part of an exercise in relation to this poem: Prevention.

Poem: Prevention

I work for a place that PREVENTS child abuse. That is the first thing that made this endeavor a challenge: How do you write about something that has not happened? My organization trains people and provides technical assistance to those who work with families, so they are not necessarily the first line of action either. They are in the schools and run programs, as such, but again, it is a tough angle to write from. They asked me to do so.

Prevention

Days can grow long with a sense of no hope

Life has its struggles of a too much to cope

I could know not the answers for a world of dismay

Fallen ‘pon hardships of a sure disarray

Money grows tighter so as can’t meet their needs

Obligations as mother are a challenge to heed

How can I feed them and who will buy clothes

Help with the housework? God only knows!

They disrupt any quiet and disobey me at will

Constantly crying, and the whining grows shrill

Lines of support mostly shatter or wilt

Relationship’s falter from foundation’s poor-built

An urge often rises all the harder to fight

You are weak with exhaustion; every nerve starts to bite

Control could be lost bringing anger to head

That’s when children get beaten; that’s when children get dead

One should see these portrayals as being unset by stone

There are choices to make if we’re not left alone

For the parent who struggles, there’s an alternate route

Teachers with answers to be found all about

In the training, assistance and support we provide

At each fork in the road better paths get applied

Here lies a purpose and the mission at core

Preventing abuse – we will work all the more

Copyright SGW 2009