Love On the Dark Side

You senselessly hurt me, Then, demand I do not cry. You frustrate me, Then, unsympathetically punish my display of anger. You ridicule me, Then, taunt me when I strive to win your approval. You swear long-standing tribal love and protection, Then, crush my small, unprotected heart with indifference. You set impossible goals, Then, painstakingly dismantle my ego. You demonstrate blatant distain, Then, draw me inside your dark, secret circle. You demand the obscene use of my disarmoured sheath, Then, discard the confused Soul indwelling. Who taught you how to love on the Dark Side? Were you not once also a child, Alone, and frightened in the whispering darkness? Did you not once also smile, laugh and sing? Who taught you to hide your innocence, In the filmy guise of unrequited bravery? A male child cries hauntingly, In the background of my dreams. If children learn what they live, Who taught you to love on the Dark Side?