Laughter fills a summer sky
as small children run around,
chasing each other in games forgotten by age.
Squeals of glee sound through playgrounds,
as they run around feeling the summer air.
One child hults as their mother briskly walks to them.
Barking orders she takes the child from the happy scene,
The child looks back at their friends
and soaks up the sunshine and warm feelings.
Swiftly mother and child return home
to find father rambling bitter words to them.
The small child sonters over to their room,
and begin to play with wooden blocks of many colors.
The child coos playful thoughts as they build,
builds to the heavens.
Suddenly the room grows cold as nosies grow louder,
shouts and screams reverberates through the child’s home.
Crashes and slams accompany the raising chorius of yells,
and the small child does not understand.
They waddle over to their bed and hide under the covers,
Hoping the scary noises will fade away.
Their mother enters the room and uncovers the child,
salty tears race down her bruised and scarred face.
The child reaches out to their mother,
not understanding why or how this happened.
She quickly races out of the room with child held close.
The father yells at her and threatens her.
The tiny, frightened child covers their ears
not understanding why their father would say such things.
And as mother and child rush out into the night,
the father in drunken rage throws a beer bottle at them.
The glass shatters on hard ground,
slicing soft skin of both young and old.
The father runs after them, demanding his child back.
The mother puts the child into the car and quickly gets in too.
The engine roars to life and swiftly they leave.
The father’s solemn vow echoes through the bitter night.
“You think you can get away? I will find you, and when I do you will pay.
I will always find you. You can never escape from me.”
Years pass and the child starts school,
learning with joy and fun.
The father shows up to the school
demanding to see his child.
The school won't let him,
and they notify the mother.
Quickly the mother arrives and sees to her horror
who else was there.
She tries to run away with the child,
but the father follows closely.
The mother calls the police,
pleading for help.
They came,
they saw it all,
and arrests him.
The child will no longer see their father like they used to.
They will only see anger and hatred in his hostile eyes.
They now fear him,
dreading to visit him even if it was behind glass.
They would forever be scared by his actions,
and long for normalcy they were robbed of.
They will forever be shackled by their father’s anger
and wrath.
They will never know what it would have been like.
They will be forever shackled by memories, wishes, and longings.