Chapter 6. Graham. Poem by Katherine Shaw

Time went on, things remained the same
Until Mr. Graham started to play his game
His game seemed strange and he told me not to tell
He relayed this message to the other girls as well
The things he did still affect me to this day
Those terrible memories will never go away

He used to play hide and seek
And at his man bits he made me peek
Not only did I have to look, I had to touch as well
He said it was our secret and I must never tell
He told me 'I love you' and that I was his first
If I didn't do as I was told, he cussed and cursed
He always shut the door so that no one could see
Then he started to sexually abuse me
I never made a sound, I never said a word
I was petrified in case anyone heard
The pain was horrendous, I would almost pass out
But I knew I couldn't scream or shout

I used to have trouble sleeping at night
Curled up into foetal position arched and tight
In my dreams, the beast would often appear
When I opened my eyes he would disappear
I would mentally fight to keep my eyes open
My sleep pattern ruined and completely broken
No one to talk to, no one to tell
The abuse and lack of sleep made me unwell
I thought he would forever abuse me
And that it would carry on for eternity