Amanda's Story

She said, "It wasn't always so bad,
There were some days we'd forget.
Passing time with the TV,
We'd pretend we were guests."

She said, "He wasn't always so bad,
On the days that he slept."
Maybe dreaming of a woman,
Who, his love, she'd accept.

Then, everything could be the way he'd always dreamt,
And he could have someone to call his pet.
A vision someone set so long ago,
But he could not forget.
As if someone had said,
"The ones you love are the ones to be kept,
And kept without consent.
The heart loves most what it can't defend."

"Then, there were some days he was so bad,
Never giving us a rest.
Passing time with the ceiling,
Counting tiles from the bed.
And on those days, it was so bad.
We'd even dream of our death.
But, it was never to be answered.
We were never to be sent."

"And then, one day, we heard a noise come through the vent,
A door unlocked, a voice around the bend.
A ten-year-aged regret, on able legs, racing down the steps.
The panic of unrest, the sound of heartbeats beating through our chests.
And then, a wave of calm, as he stood over our bed."