Abusive Father Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

I shall never forget the day he died
And how I felt deep down
In the pit of my stomach
A complex man does not excuse
Or explain how he treated me.
Abusive fathers remain for a lifetime
Never going away
Leaving scars in the mind
That seldom entirely hide themselves
But emerge from time to time
To hurt again.

I shall never forget the day we buried him
My siblings shed copious tears
And mourners, who did not understand,
Wondered why I was dry-eyed
But, I cried a million tears inside.