On a trip down memory lane
Stumbled into my past of pain
Looked for the words that stained the walls
And the homemade faces Aunt Rose made for dolls
The cabinet where I attempted to hide
From the predator who then called my mother wife,
And the field that kept the crab apple tree
Where the grass was tall and he humiliated me.
Try to remind myself as I did way back then
I accepted this punishment to protect all of them.
For a moment the fear and intimidation crept in
But I am not so weak to let that awful man win.
So I thought of this place where my innocence was lost
And instead of the hurt, I shifted my thoughts
To my three little brothers playing in the yard
On tricycles and bikes tossing balls near and far
My older and younger sisters playing baseball with me
There was never such a time we were so happy and free
So I take with me the memories so precious to us all
And lock them in my heart, later to recall.
Lorene Kinsey
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-old-house-on-hickory-grove-road/
