I don’t know enough about cows
to know why a farmer might flog one
or why a man might beat his dog
I yell at my cats for scratching furniture
they watch me with great fearful eyes
they know, & they don’t know
why I raise my voice, whether a raised voice
means a coming blow — my father gave no
warning, stood behind me & yanked
me up by an arm so I dangled, hit me
as hard as he could, or so it felt to me
dropped me down — I cried in pain
I never saw him coming, never knew
what I’d done — picture the cow
flanks & lips bloodied — even now
a sudden loud noise behind my back
yanks me back, I’m still that child
one minute playing, the next damned
No comments:
Post a Comment