Skeletons

I cringe at the sound of the belt
not looking forward to another welt
and I wonder what I did to deserve
this kind of memory I’m forced to preserve.

The sounds of her screams reach my ears
I’m five I shouldn't be spilling these kinds of tears
And I try to protect what’s left of my sanity
But it’s impossible, this violence, it’s insanity.

Fast forward to the years where you disappeared
It was a piece of heaven in this life-long hell
Nightmares still danced in the shadows
I learned there is no escaping the pain

And even at sixteen you were there
the crack of the belt replaced but still I fear
the pain that comes with a slight rise in your voice
But I was learning that it wasn’t my choice

The fault was your own
my body not a punching bag on loan
I can still feel the crack of the brick
the memory still makes me sick

And I still wonder what I did to deserve
that kind of life I once lived I try to conserve
My energy so I don’t fight, it’s not right
But you forget like it’s been erased by the light.