i have a family
and i'm told
i should count myself lucky
that i have a mother and father
and that both of them love me

i have a family
and i'm told
by them that i should try harder
that i'm not doing well enough
that i'm not mature

i have a family
and they say
that i'm too young to find love
too young to disobey them
and too innocent to see the truth

but this is no family
thats what i say
i sit here at my table, covering
my ears to dodge the bullets
escaping their lips
aimed at my brother

tonight, i'm safe, hidden before this screen
narrowly escaping the lash of their tongues

i have a family
and i'm told
i should be grateful
that there are worse families out there
who beat their children

though i am free from fists
or the sting of a belt
i am not free from words

i have a family
and i'm told
i should be grateful
that i have food to eat, a bed to sleep on
parents who drive me around and pay for my things

this is not a family
this is a house full of angry roommates
two of whom have power
two of whom are oppressed

i am trapped here
far from solace or rest
unable to survive much longer
beaten down ceaselessly by those
who claim to love me

if this goes on much longer
there will be nothing left