For Him

As the blood flows
As it seeps through
Cloth, rag, hand,
Skin, and tissue
I feel the pain and
Horror, gore, sadness,
All my helplessness,
Vanish into the red
Material on my side
Everything I feel
For my dad I bide
Until this time
Tonight
Twilight
I can let it go
To wait for our
Next fight over dough
Mine, his, ours,
As his face turns dour
I know he cares
And that is why
In front of him or
Ever, I cannot cry
For the pain it
Would cause all
I don’t have the gall
It would take to
Disappoint him here
So I retreat to my
Safe room, where
I can release
If only for a while
Until then,
I will smile
For him.