Peace From This

She wasn't always like this-

Only since dad left.

Now her anger is directed at me,

The sharp, blunt, and unreasonable ends of it.

My brothers know what I do to protect them from her:

They hear the shrieks at night,

The clamoring that doesn't stop until mom trudges to bed,

And even then, continues on silently,

Until I fall into unconscious bliss.

No one else knows.

The walls are too thick,

Nothing leaves the house.

Dad never comes to see us.

I don't wear T-shirts or shorts to school,

So the bruises and scars never show.

No one asks about eh red, puffy eyes,

No one asks why I don't go swimming in the summer,

No one asks about me.

Then, one day I'm not at school.

I'm hidden away in the basement-

Not from mom,

But from the police and their dogs.

They find me,

And I'm transported to a bright, white room.

Then the dirt is shoveled over my still corpse.

I see my little brothers

In their black clothes,

Telling the police everything.

I know they'll be safe now.

I can find peace from this now.