His Belt

Chubby fingers
traced gently, each weblike pattern,
hot tracks laid haphazardly across
pink flesh.

Standard issue
Royal Air Force garb,
the belt's buckle,
held a clapper, of sorts
which clanged loudly
through each rage.

If you didn't cry
he wasn't forceful enough.
Cry too loudly, you were faking.

Tell on others, you were a tattle tale.
If you didn't, an accomplice.

Lie and you were punished.
Confess and you were punished too.

We learned lessons quickly
when Papa came home from war.
The problem was,
there were always new lessons.

Reviews

[tk]

Raw and powerful. The last stanza holds so much truth. I'd like to think of this piece that the father is life itself: unpredictable, full of pain. But at the end of it all, there are lessons learned. Always. Thank you for this.

[Sometimes Blood]

This is so heartfelt and personal. Thank you for sharing such a private piece with us. Beautifully written!

[Norman T]

This was both frightening as well as moving, on two levels. The abuse is frightening, but the reference that he had come back from the war could imply that his experiences had damaged his mind. It was a situation that occurred more often than it was publicised.
A courageous and deeply effective poem.

Norman

[Susan Beth Horvath]

This is clearly done with creativity, depth, command of language and a sense of emotion

[Tricia Pattinson]

Oh this touched my heart so deeply. I feel the abused child's world of confusion. A real tear jerker! Bravo! 100/100 is not enough for this dark pearl!

[Wandering Minstrel]

This explodes with raw emotion. I liked it a lot.

[Mary Bosworth]

This is well done. You put it together with much thought and skill. It makes a reader think

[K Scott Smith]

I like the way you write so much.

[Blake Fodor]

Yes definitely a very good piece indeed.

[Anne Timmins]

This is so emotional and well-penned