She arrived home from school that day,

lunch box in her hand,

to show her mother what she made,

but it didn't go quite as planned.

He was waiting in the kitchen,

the smell gave him away.

So she tried to pass quickly,

but he urged her to stay.

His glass was nearly empty,

so she reached out to fill it,

thinking it would please him somehow,

but it definitely didn't.

He towered above her, pulling his arm back

and down it came with a frightening smack.

She landed on her lunch box which cushioned her fall,

and remained on the floor in a tight little ball.

She must've done something wrong, she thought,

to deserve such a hit.

So she remained on the floor

until he went back to sit.

Only then did she realize

that her creation was crushed.

That her pink paper flower

was now pink paper mush.

She pulled it out of the bag slowly

the paper was torn.

Some of the petals were missing;

it was too damaged to be reborn.

So into the trash she threw it.

From above she watched it go.

What her mom would've thought of it

she will never know.