I didn’t understand why his eyes didn’t light up in the dark to show me the way like Mommas winter candles
I only knew smiles and cotton candy flavored lollipops
I only knew built swingsets in the backyard
Trees begging to be climbed on
I did not understand his mouth was only there to yell at Momma and not to smile at me in the morning
I only knew that pizza for dinner again was a treat
I didn’t understand that pizza for dinner again was his biggest fear
I only knew “Daddy got that scar from when he fought the boogie monster”
The trees stopped calling my name
Or maybe I couldn’t hear them now over all the yelling
And Dads not home tonight but Its not because he’s fighting the boogie monster
He’s fighting himself
And now I know that Pizza for dinner again was Dads way of saying ‘I lost the job’
And that the swing sets were just a way to keep me gone from all the fighting
I didn’t know that Daddy’s scars were from that BANG coming from the kitchen
Now I know that Momma got a bit too mad wen Dad came home last night
Now I know