Daddy beat the love out of me
he drew the buckle into my skin
built metal plates over my flesh
to blind the greatest of his sin
Mommy pumped the dreams out of me
so I dipped my finger in the fuel and wrote a poem
something for her to preen
Mommy drained the dreams out of me
replaced my blood with oil and gasoline
polished and buffed my metal scales clean
hooked me up religiously to the IV
Daddy squeezed the love out of me
so I took the ink and made a painting
to give it back to him
Daddy stole the breath out of meand
brought a pair of collapsible lungs
screwed lasers to my shoulder and
fixed my hips with guns
Mommy robbed the breath out of me
soI took the inhaled dust and hummed a tune
her own brand of poison
Mommy beat the fear out me and
Daddy beat the fear out of me
Welded me into a machine
And encased my heart in fire and chains
A vice so strict that even they couldn’t break so
I raised my tin arms and laughed
At their one fatal mistake.
Marwah Saleh
Age 16, Grade 11
High School for Health Professions & Human Services
Gold Key