the once white walls faded to yellow
with the contact of cigarette smoke
the plates in the kitchen were shattered
the door to the bathroom was broke

the front porch of the house it was sinking
the children searched for a way out
so in the dark of each night
i began to write
my poems they blocked the bad out

mom rarely came out of that bedroom
us children were mostly alone
she said don’t let them see
what he’s done to me
just when his temper has blown 

 her arms contained scratches and claw marks
he bashed her head on the shelf
i wrote about how she foolishly thought
that she brought this all on herself 

 each morning he tried to play nice guy
he blamed all the drugs and the beer
after months my courage was growing
i would get us all out of here 

 sadly no one could help her
she hadn’t wanted to get out
so night after night
fight after fight
i wrote ‘til my fingers gave out. 

 i confided solely in my poems
they distracted me from what was all there
on paper I found my new safe haven
and nothing would ever compare 

 one day I made a decision
i must do more than just write
i would get us all out 
no hesitation no doubt
yes that night was the night 

 flash forward five years and counting
and all has changed but one thing
if I find any trouble
or any form of struggle
i always turn back to writing