A Willow’s Strength By Aaliyah C 12/4/2014
The following poem depicts a scene from my childhood. Giving the people in this poem a sense of connection with nature I describe a beast, my father, who suffers from alcohol abuse. He is labeled as being a cancer to us all. I only tell of my point of view in this story and how I viewed things, but I try to put a light on how I saw my mother and father view their side of the story and their truths. When I was nine my father barged in the house drunk and with me being alarmed I rushed to my pregnant mother’s bedside. I buried my head in her arms and I held her tight. I ran to lock the door then my father started breaking it down begging me to open the door while swearing not to harm me or my mother. He drug her down the hallway and outside the door onto the porch and proceeded to try to push her down. Me seeing nothing else to do and with my older brother not yet outside, I jumped up and grabbed him by his neck and started choking him. I saw it as my duty that night to save two precious souls. One who needed a second chance to live because she was my hero and one who never had a chance to live. I’m happy with my decision, because now I have a very special sister to the thanks of whatever angel touched me that night and gave me the courage to rise up against my own father. We drove off not looking back and left him to his own darkness and his own truth. My mother left my father in her house intending to never look back. Over the course of three days it took him to beg her back. Even then she was on edge. I argued with myself relentlessly saying, “Why would she go back to him when he said he’d kill us and burn the house down with us in it?” or I’d even feel pity for him. My father has never hit my mother again to my knowledge. I see a weakness in her for the love of people and in that weakness I also feel rays of exuberant strength flowing from her soul. She is not weak for going back to him but strong for finding a place in her heart to forgive him. Also my father has always known there is an army of angry cousins waiting if he EVER lays a hand on ANY of us again. He learned that from an incident with me, but that is a story for another day. To be continued.....
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
-Mark Twain
At the door there is a steady rattling and to meet it, no rushed answer
For there a virus a beast of sorts comes rampaging in like cancer
In my bed no longer safe I run to my comforting willow
Arms brown and sturdy, hold me down like tucked blanket and pillow
The beast has arrived, looking to tear down my ally’s comforting shadow
Adept at detecting a sense of happiness he reaches for the arms of my hero
A bulge of eight months creeping in my throat
As I watch the beast pull as she tugs on his coat
No branches broken no thorns released
So at least now my mind is at ease
He tugs on her arm, her leaves of hope
And leads her by her hair, a braided rope
Very guileless he spews of plans to chop her down
He speaks of cheating rumors flowing through the winds of the town
He has her now, outside the door, steps away from falling
Extending to push her down the stairs, he begins and my tiny ears hear deaths calling
I do all I know, I jump and spread my wings like a merlin or even an osprey
I close my eyes and then open to see a light of rage, viewing none other than the light of the beastly
A light of defeat a calling of death, a scream of mercy upon his drunken lips
I release my talons, I fly back down, no looking up as I take a dozen large dips
For I know the beast has now been humbled
His beastly heart has now been crumbled
He seeks his light, the light of a beast, a devilish being
Trying to kill and harm his so called remarkable queen
Making his daughter choose a side
Her hatred for him now evident in her eyes
She kneels beside her willow to find
A broken heart but a steel blade spine
I poke, I prod and I poke and I poke
To find a willow’s strength and not the weakness of an oak
“Never again.” speaks the willow to her
And never again did those events reoccur
By Aaliyah C
2:22 Am 12/4/2014
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