Mother Poem by octavia wilson

Mother is there when I get home from school,
I'm happy there, hyper and playing the fool.
But as I pull on the handle and turn the key,
I feel a sense of dread and fear fill me.
I have a secret, a dark one,
A secret I've never told anyone.
Everyday when I come home,
Mother waits till I'm alone,
Then she'll hit me with a spoon or shoe,
Till I bleed, till I'm black and blue.
Dad left us when I was three,
Since then all she's done is blame it on me.
I'm ugly, stupid, tarty, and fat,
It was my fault he left us, 'You hear that you brat? ! ',
With a duck and a dive, I sometimes manage to swerve,
But I know in the end I'm going to, 'Get what I deserve'.
Hospital a few times, 'I was playing with my brother',
It's one lame excuse after another.
One of these days, I'm going to break free,
One of these days, I'll be truly happy.
But until then I tell no one,
I have a secret,
I'm not telling anyone.