Latest Child Abuse Tale Poem by Roger Gerald Hicks

Grandma heard the latest child abuse
tale
while chocolate cookies browned.

Saturday in the park
father hung them from tree branches
like three blond-headed fruit.

"No way! " they pleaded,
"girls don't belong in trees, "
as he hoisted each sniveling her
onto a chosen limb.

Frightened rigid, his height off the earth,
they wouldn't budge at first...
but in spite of can't, can't, can'ts.
mastered fear-
learned to climb.

Once, after hearing "I can't! "
he'd shouted
(another atrosity)
"One more can't and three gets whipped! "

Later, they giggled,
fascinated as he, also in the tree
jumped around like father ape
creating a tree-quake.
Finally agreed a girl isn't a girl
until she's treed.

They next climbed alone
from ground to sky
six eyes glistening
like happy opals.

Grandmother replied with a thoughtful nod,
"When I wore bangs,
I skimmied any tree a boy could-
and faster."