No Words [kory]
As I stand in silence
My chest rises and falls from the race I have run
The false sense of victory is rapidly squelched
as you arrive in the doorway to transfer your rage
You have covered the distance
Your target is cowering
Duck and cover becomes its only escape.
The blows on the flesh that made your blood boil
travel straight to the center of its staggering soul.
It cries not from sadness, but as a last line of protection
Hoping you will believe the lesson was learned.
Your rampage grows silent
The hall light is left on
I should not have disturbed you
I am just afraid of the dark
reminds me of an argument, maybe between husband/wife. i'd be interested to know what you were thinking of.
ReplyDelete.fav.
ReplyDelete"The hall light is left on"
Actually, it is about a little boy who snuck out of bed, cause he wanted his mom to come lay with him. She was not very receptive to the idea of being interrupted.
ReplyDeleteAnother title for this piece could be "Why I became a Foster Parent."
sad. i really like the last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad ... it expresses the pain very well.
ReplyDeleteYour "Another title for this piece" is very powerful with the words of that poem behind it--though I also really like the title you chose.
Knowing what it's about (mom and child) makes it even more sad. I had to read it again for the full effect. Really beautiful, but heavy. I'm with Justin that "the hall light" line hit me.
ReplyDeletePowerful images. I'm wondering why the change from first-person perspective to third-person ("It cries not from sadness"). Is that to depict how some abuse victims cope by removing themselves mentally from a violent encounter?
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting angle that I had not considered.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote this, the "it" was how the parent objectified the the child as an annoyance to be silenced rather than a person.
I love the word choices! The first and last stanzas were my favs.
ReplyDelete