As a young child
family,
was everything.
to me, they loved me
endlessly,
to me I saw nothing wrong
except the time when I was
three
and I watched my mother
crumble to the floor
as my dad walked out the door.
to me I saw nothing wrong
with the way I jumped
from
house
to
house
you would assume I would be
confused
but It was game,
to me I saw nothing wrong
except when I was six
and I ducked under the window
as the cops surrounded our house
my mother laughing as we drove away.
to my I saw nothing wrong
on my 9th birthday
we went to the roller rink
my mother insisting on paying
even though she has no money
no job
just two extra children
and a husband who drank too much
and yelled, quite often
to me I saw nothing wrong.
when I was 12 she asked
if I wanted to live with her
she promised
things
things I didn’t have
thing’s I wanted
and an escape from the hell I thought I was living in
to me I saw nothing wrong
nut as years passed
and I was failing high school
60 pounds overweight
with only ramen packets in the
cupboard
and ketchup in the fridge
with city water from the tap
I finally accepted that
something
everything
was
wrong.