Broken Poem by Lora Cooley

A single question has brought it all back again,
Even though it was asked so innocently,
I remember,
I can smell the smells
And hear the sounds
As though it was but yesterday
And not in the far off regions of my youth,
I closed my eyes and could feel
His hot breath on my face
I could feel the tub against my skin
His unshaven face kissing my back
And I retch as the memory consumes me
I can almost feel the little pool of water mixed with blood,
My blood,
Sloshing against my arms and knees
I hear the sound of the other kids voices,
Of them running around playing tag, watching tv
I can't think
All the noises stop
I look up
My face is slamed back down to the bottom of the tub
I hear the kids
His kids
Rushing off
Unaware
Not knowing
Oblivious
To my stuggle
And the percing red pain
As I am slapped to reality
To where my memories start
To my innocence not lost
But stolen
I am now forcing myself to remember
I twist
I turn
I try to scream out
But all that is let loose is tears
I am stunned by the revelation
Paralyzed
Numb
And silent
To all the whispers and snickers
The memory pulls at me and suddenly I am put to his camera
I now know that I am like Eve
I am not nude
But naked on the inside
Shame falls on me like a jacket,
And I put it on
For it fits so well
Humiliation makes me mute to his actions
To his constant invasions into my body
My soul like clay
Was shaped
By his ugly hands
I looked up into his eyes
And all I saw was a predator
Waiting for the moment to make the kill
His eyes follow me
Waiting for me to be foolish enough to be open
And vulnerable
And when I look up
That's just what he sees
Raw emotion
And he strikes
Like a cobra
Fangs sinking in
Pumping poison
That poison will remain in my veins
For he saw a look in me
One that no one else saw
It was a look that said
Break me
I'm vulnerable
And that's what he did