The Monster Under the Mask

As I recall I was five the first time I met the monster in disguise He threw my brother's plate to the ground He told him to eat off the floor like the dog that he was Then kicked him while he was down He laughed and he laughed at the spectacle taking place And I cried and I cried for my brother’s sake The very next morning I stared up at him from his lap I was trying to see if it was the man or a mask A few months later I had my answer as the man was hitting home runs On my brother’s flesh and bones He smiled like a jester as my brother was pissing his pants We rode in silence to Sunday school And I saw it happen clear as day when the monster slipped on the mask of my father The one I knew and loved A couple years later and a thousand more tears My mother wept as she answered the call The monster had drawn the last straw As he took my brothers innocence during the night in that hotel room Then they came like angels and whisked us away The men dressed in suites with badges of authority We were safe for the first time As I look back I still miss the mask but not the man

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Written by

Matthew-A-Cain

31 / M

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