Helen's Poem Poem by Jaclyn D

I can’t believe it happened then
I was five and you were ten
He was amongst us, in our sights
All those mornings and all those nights
We never knew what was to take place
Then he battered in your lovely face
You could not say to our own mum
For fear of what was still to come

So you lied and said you fell down hard
Saying it happened in our own front yard
She had no reason to doubt what you said
Although you had marks all over your head
So you kept up the whole foolish façade
Thinking your only choice had been made
He threatened to kill if you were ever to tell
So you kept up the pretence saying you fell

The months went by without a glitch
Not realising he still had that dirty itch
As he entered our room he couldn’t resist
He was too far gone now, he was pissed
When he climbed on top, you closed your eyes
The room was filled with muffled cries
When the deed was done, he closed the door
Then you fell down crying on the floor

You promised to tell mum what he had done
But before then you found our fathers gun
You left a note and put the gun to your head
Pulled the trigger and now you were dead
Mum found you slumped on the decking chair
The note near by, she read with despair

Dear Mum I’m sorry for not telling you
All that has happened I cannot undo
The guilt was too much for me to bare
Everything that happened was so unfair
You see father always gives Helen a fright
He comes into our room late at night
Last time I told him to stop touching her there
With his fists he told me that he didn’t care
He said he would kill me if I ever told
But I had to - Helen’s only 5 years old