A Loving Son
They always said, “Please bother us no more”
when Tommy sang, and Mom would stick her head
inside his room. “We need to shut your door!”
And once he loudly sobbed because he tore
his toy plane, but all his father said
was, “I cannot be bothered any more.”
Another time he fell and felt so sore,
but Mother quickly wiped the spot that bled,
said, “Go to sleep. I’m going to shut the door.”
He learned to neither ask them questions nor
expect attention, for he felt great dread
of hearing their “Please bother us no more.”
One day a young man thought, “What’s living for?
No more tears do I have left to shed. . .
I’d better not forget to shut the door.”
They heard the shot and ran and saw the gore.
Their loving son lay silenced on his bed.
The note read, “I will bother you no more.
Mom and Dad, I remembered to shut the door.”
*The simple abuse of neglect, probably the most prevalent of all child abuse.
Copyright © Andrea Dietrich | Year Posted 2012
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