Mommy

little girl six years old
saw mommy in pain
ask what had happened to her skin
“they’re only from a game,
you see. Daddy likes to play”

she looked at mommy one last time
she saw her broken smile
another bruise across her cheek
that had stayed a while

she never knew why mommy played
a game that would only hurt
she accepted mommy’s cries of sorrow
she wondered about her blood stained shirt

mommy hid behind the couch
as daddy slurred his words
another drunken night again
another world of hurt

hiding under broken tables
surrounded by shattered glass
seeing daddy play his game
I wished it was a forgotten past

brother tried to fight him off
doing the best he can
saying “***** close your eyes,
it time to be a man.”

I couldn’t help to listen
to the few words he had said
I watched as he blocked poor mommy
he had stood up to dad

he took the first blows
daddy laughed as he saw brother glare
with hatred in his eyes
and plain emptiness there

brother got mad
and socked daddy back
he’d broken daddy’s nose
because of that ******* laugh

it held joy in all the blows
the things that broke mommy
all ones that made her cry
the ones that crippled her body

brother had saved my mommy
with the fourth hit he gave
daddy got knocked flat on his back
his self esteem had caved

we ran from that monster
and were saved by an angel
hes my brother
he's my mommy's savior