The List

Don’t you see me?Sitting third row from the frontA terrifying night has me drifting in and out of sleepNot compassion, but harsh frustration wakes me up
Bruises catch your eye and soften your wordsOnly thing more obvious were my lies, so well-rehearsedQuestion’s hang in betweenYour silence makes me want to scream
An uneasy feeling twisted in your gutYou never asked why?Uncertainty freezing your feet and keeping your mouth shutFor saving I couldn’t ask, and you didn’t try
Don’t you see me?Hours on end wondering and playingYesterday’s clothes hinting there is more to the storyBeing neighborly must be nothing more than a saying
Screaming so loud it made you pauseSilence of a slap giving you causeResolve to intervene halted by hesitationMissing details and fear of litigation
So, the volume goes up and curtains closeChildren have a resilience they will bounce backIf things get really bad you will knowYour inaction chalked up to inexperience and missing facts
Don’t you see me?Crass and sexual words leave my lipsYou give me a look and then whisper to your kidsProtecting them at my expense
Family means supporting one anotherNo one is supposed to be left behindInstead of intervening you sit and talk about my motherTo my desperation, you are deaf and blind
I am drowning in painAs the darkness consumes your silence remainsI have added you to the long list of namesTrust is by action, not words obtained