Teen Ink

   When my brother was eight

And I was ten

Sherri and I used to hold him down

And feed him bugs,

Grasshoppers and bees.



He would scream and cry

And try to bite us

But we held both him

And his terror down

As we tortured him because

We had nothing better to do.

He was trapped and couldn't get up.



Now Rocky is fourteen and I'm

Still two years older but feel

Older in so many ways. I cry

When I think how scared he was then

But even more when I think how

He's still held down.



My dad has this power over him.

He feeds Rocky insults when he's

Not perfect.

He thinks he won us from our mom

And feed him lies to keep him on

His side.



Rocky says that it's all OK, he doesn't mind

But I know that he's trapped and

Can't get out.

Grasshoppers weren't as bad as what

He has to swallow now.

I want to tell him how sorry I am

For everything but

He just says, "It's OK, Kate;

It's all OK."