you broke my father didn’t you
broke him so that he could never be one
broke him so that he would fail like you
die like you, unloved, unvisited
tore the boy apart to make a man out of him
a fearful ghost
who shat his pants
coming home to your fists and belts
my father’s face is part of the kitchen tiles
his fear in his clothes
he smells of your violence
the boy who died at your fingertips
they took his body in the alleyway
and tore into him without remedy
my father has never ceased to be an open wound
that you degenerated to such a degree
that all he ever sought was your unachieved approval
Croque-Melpomene 