Framed.
By a halo
Of tumbling black hair
Restlessly, yearningly, dreaming
My idea was growing

Blooming.
Each event spoke
With a cryptic tongue
My father first came fully
Into the orbit of my concern

Lawgiver.
Always some how
Alien and remote
My deep hate of him
How can I hit back at him

Anticipating.
Calculated words that spawn
Invisible demons
Had to pause and think
Of what was happening to me

Teasing.
It made me angry
His absence
Thought of him
With a deep biological bitterness

Chance.
Stomach churn
Consuming curiosity
More than I could remember
Insisted she sit still

Listen.
She was dumbfounded
Never meant anything
To me emotionally
A paternal right
Was the only right