Brethren Of Three

The Loss Of Childhood Innocence

BRETHREN OF THREE

I died tonight

Because you stole from me

Pulling me into the shadows

Marching me forward, my brethren of three

I try to force my ears to drown out the sounds

The barking dog, the chanting of prayers, the zipper through teeth

Your weapon, as you set it free

I hold my body stiff as you cover my temple with your sin

Tears stream down as you force your way in

The anger that flows when the barricade barely opens

While your men get in position---hoping

Hoping for victory of the almighty prize

But surrender in defeat when you realize, it's the size

Your sword, your sword

Cutting its way through

Pushing against the bones of land unexplored

When the prayers die down and silence fills the room

You hurry to cover, fore the saints will come for me soon

What would they say if they knew

That the brethren of three

Pillaged them too

Their last words

A promise of death

Buried deep within me, will never be heard

The days will grow shorter and the nights cold

I’ll be reminded of my death

As time makes me old

Every year I’ll smile and pretend

That beneath the surface I still hold

The innocence you ripped from me, when I was ten

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

This one is shattering. We behold, through elegant imagery, the rape of a child. Worse, it appears to be a gang rape, if I read the "brethren of three" imagery correctly. The "saints" may be the victim's family, who will never hear of the outrage because of a death threat. The last lines are deeply moving, a portrait of the violated one in adulthood, still haunted by memories. This one puts you front row center both at the scene of the crime and of its aftermath. This is not a pleasant read, but it is a very good one.