When you were young, you ran
Away from him
That tall man with
The loud voice

Might have well been
A monster
Taken from a nightmare with
Sharp teeth, glaring eyes

You were his captive
Audience, summoned by a bark,
Angry and pointed
Each word burying itself under your flesh

You felt the volume and the pace
Too frightened
To absorb the words
Betrayed and desperate, you sat

Exposed with tears and shaking hands
Waiting,  praying to
Escape behind your shut door
It turned out

The space between the bookshelf
And the dresser was the right size
To squeeze in
With your knees tucked to your chin

When you closed the closet door
The tight corner held you,
The carpet caught your tears
The darkness almost stole away his words

When you were older, you listened
To his voice, his words
The unstable arguments they constructed
The scattered meanings

Only seemed to come together
After some time
They steeped in your mind, growing
Strong and bitter. You spit them out

In conversations with
Your mother, your sister
Together you unpacked their
Flaws and failures

But in the moment, you were choked
By gasping and sobbing and begging
It was the destructive product
Of a broken heart

Your mind silently observed, letting
Your soul take the blows
Simply watching the time pass
Relying on a calmer future to arrive

When you were seventeen, you spoke
And looked him in the eye, never
Looking up, He was not so big
You were not small

Yes, your eyes teared, your hands shook
You paused to breathe
In and out
But never forfeit

Your trembling voice was
Still a voice, pushing
Not back at him, but
Towards a shared victory:

Progress. Carved from slow
Logic, pure stubbornness, and
Undeserved hope
The belief that somehow

He would hear you
Back and forth, through cries and swears
His voice softened, his pace slowed
Even then, you refused to walk away

Your emotions were woven into words
The hurt, confusion, and anger swelled into
A song of defiance and strength
That still echoes in his mind