Forgiveness requires peace

For so long I was afraid of your hands and
The boom in your voice
And in my later years

I learned how you seared my mother’s skin
With your fingertips when the scars
Seemed to appear on my arms
In between my legs
And underneath my bra
Somewhere near my uterus
So the fear grew
Until it was a mark of my feelings towards you
And the cowardly little girl turned angry
Refusing to let your manipulation pass for
Pain or sorrow at the losses you created
I am a body of memory
Of injuries too big to hide
And too deep cutting to simply learn from
I struggle to hold any sympathy for you
The love I was raised to keep tucked in my back pocket, specially for family
Is battling with boundaries I need to create
And burdens that were never mine to carry