He’s drunk again
Mama I can’t believe you
Why are we still here?
I look at a bowl he just threw
Mama, what’ll happen, what we will do
She doesn’t say anything so I grab the phone
I’m calling the police to come to the rescue
She looks at me panicked
No, don’t, let him be
I shake my head madly
Why so he can destroy the rest of our family
She says quietly that I should go to my room
Why I snap it’s not fair
She’s scared of everything, I assume
She says honey, don’t be scared
I say yeah right, look at yourself
She ducks and closes her eyes tight
As he knocks over the only bookshelf
I can’t believe it
Again, she says I should go to my room
Since I’m too tired to fight
I leave, turn on the radio and blast the volume
I don’t care what I’m listening to
It doesn’t matter that this is the Spanish station
Man, when he’s drunk it’s hard to breathe
This house needs some ventilation
I guess I fell asleep
Because I wake up to a knock
My mom’s standing there
She says Hey we’re going to IHOP
I look outside and it’s pouring
Why now I say it’s so late
She tells me it’s nine o’clock in the morning
I sigh, getting out of bed
I’m not looking forward to today
When isn’t life full of dread?
I see my younger sister
Oh, that poor little girl
Helplessly sucked into her daddy’s drunken world
Her pretty little face asks
Why Daddy’s on the floor
Before I can speak
Mommy quickly says his job is making him sore
Then she gives me a look to say no more
I want to point out with his high school dropout education
He doesn’t have a job
Never will have a decent occupation
Instead, I shrug my shoulders
And take my little sister’s hand
We run to the car in the rain
Poor little girl doesn’t know her family’s insane
We wait for Mommy in the old car
It smells like stale beer
And my little sings a song
As if I’m not here
She softly says
“Oh dear Lord
I wish an angel were here
Daddy’s saying mean things
Words so sharp like a spear
And Mommy’s stressed about life
There’s been a couple times
Where she’s pulled out a butcher knife
I don’t know if she cuts herself
Or uses it on Daddy
But thing’s for sure
Is that it isn’t making my happy
And then there’s my sister
She’s only ten
Yet Daddy’s done so much damage
Why hasn’t an angel been sent?
Her broken heart has walked too many sad miles
Please, do her a favor
Let her smile
I really do love her
If you’re listening
Please answer
All I want is for my family to be together
Because we’re not going to be kids forever.”
I look back at my sister
As she says Amen
She talks to God
Like He’s her best friend
A single tear falls from her eye
I, too, start to cry
I’m wondering why God picked us
We’re only little
We’re just victims.