i broke fear
and expectations
over my knee
like your belt
split age-defined rebellion
on my bottom
but now the sting
back-fires
holes burn your hands
leaving
my denim un-scarred
i watch
ice thaw in your palms
but empty-nest
is still reaching out
as your finger tips chase hell
just beyond reach
of your wild child
there was a time
when you crippled me
telling me to be
‘a strong woman’
using red ink
you circled and crossed out
“worldview”
daring me to challenge
whatever it was you believed
[supposedly-
integrity sits on the front pew
and i needed to walk away
with a little bit more]
i flung grace from the window
it was second hand
and i wasn’t formed
in the shape of a tool
apparently i missed
the goal, the end line
and i dashed important
moments
in our lives
but i found laugther
tucked away in brief cases
as i picked locks
flinging secrets out
one at a time
i shocked and shattered
elderly folk
knowing their hips
wouldn’t support the weight
of a fumbling ministry
we always knew
about protection
rubber, titanium,
all the makings
of a doctor’s office
still it was lost with you
over your head
and over-rated
i broke the code,
rules, and played legalism
like a fool
wadding thigh deep
in ice water
hoping to prove
i could breathe on my own
thats when you lost it
and disowned me
you frowned, imprinting
molds of your knees
in the mud
on your side of the river
i know you never liked truth much
you seemed to think
quoting was your reign
but its lovely to watch
your fingers and lips
turn blue
and your attempts
at deceptive godliness
get caught up in the current
you swore in a whisper
and i out loud
as i wondered
at how alike each bank truly was
Adding your comment:
