He Said: How are you?

he-said-she-said Poems

"How are you?" "I'm fine, and how are you?" If only it were that simple. He believes in power of self yet some days just feels helpless Hardened body and calloused hands help to hold in demons Fair smiles and warm laughs on the outside of the house of body but step inside and see this is no home Broken bottles fly like broken words in a broken family How cold does it have to be to freeze a waterfall as cold as he, as he is cold as ice tears stop on frozen edge, invisible to all but him because he hasn't let them fall since he was nine it may seem sad, the lack of expression almost half of one's life but that's the kind of man built by a father who never pulled punches he threw them yet don't feel sad for our dear boy, he doesn't feel sad for himself he believes in character he believes in strength but he'd never put a child through that hell never again would that play be renacted the stage set in a three bedroom townhouse, this here, the broken home tongues fly to make sounds echo down hallways into their sons room is this love? He doubted it. Slurred words shouted names he did not know **** ***** **** Days later he figured this had something to do with why he was moving out, why him and mum left Why pa flew to Alberta and he was stuck with this mess the lovely pile of pills and drink he called his mother, in her sorrowful state of crazy Our large rock continued it's jolly course around the sun, and many rotations later the boy was king In charge at home, but not of himself, slowly slipping calloused hands had nothing to cling to Mum was losing it, keeping her on her pills was hard and dad was gone, whether he was leading a good life or shooting debts into his arms he didn't know he hadn't talked to him in 3 years didn't plan to either So this is how it feels for he, the bruised boy with good intentions, keeper of pills and watcher of siblings the man of the house. You ask me how I am and I'll answer it with truth “I'm fine" And how are you?”