Something is Rotten in the Life of that Child.

Something is rotten in the life of that child.
Not that you could see it,
hidden beneath her long and baggy clothes,
Yet if you go looking you could not miss the signs.
The finely raised lines that move up her wrists like rungs on a ladder.
Getting a step closer to the pain that is building inside of her
Or the burn marks from the fatal end of a cigarette.
Each representing a new level of hell,
much worse then Dante could ever describe.
Something is rotten in that child’s life.
Not that you want to see it,
behind the close doors, or the late nights.
Yet, clearly something is wrong.
those fine lines and burn marks came from someone.
If you continue searching you will find a man or woman
disguised as a parent, but far from it.
with a cigarette in one hand, a bottle in the other
and never without snide remark -
that hurts worse then the cigarette ever will.
There is something rotten in this child’s life.
Not that you will be able to believe it.
One day she will grow up.
she will become an adolescent and realize
this is not right. not normal. I am done with this.
Still trying to win the love but just wanting to get away.
Love is so far removed from this equation now.
When that next swing is swung towards the face
That will be the last straw.
There is something rotten in that child’s life.
Not that you could miss it.
Today the courts are involved.
She is getting out. Emergency Emancipation.
This child’s future is bright.
No one will take that away every again.
That rotten stench of a wanna be parent -
finally is starting to subside.