there are no thoughts before my dull burning thud of a brain went all dull burning and thud-like thud-like thud-like*
a street artist places a headless man in such a way as to appear that his head was enveloped by the concrete of an office building in Philadelphia
that mannequin knows what I’m talking about
that mannequin he understands
was it the fifth concussion
or the fifteenth
was it a brother pleading for revenge before parent returned home
or was it a mother saying kick him in the head and not the legs
he has to race later today you know
or an older mother saying
well i wanted a hug but just look at him —–>me
was it the 10th crack of my dad’s school ring on my skull
or the 40th
when did I go dim
I never realized I was disabled
but god i must be
looking back
at the attacks
on the smallest human in the house
my time to pack came at 15
I never looked back
but stepped into footprints
too tiny to fill
and a keg or two in order to do my own damage to my own brain
for once
how many times was I left in the rain
how many times did i cry
what is the name of this American game
oh that’s right…Abuse.
*hat tip to Capt. Beefheart in all his glory
2 comments
this is amazing nlob…
my one hope is it’s not your brain i read about… that you were not the one abused so harshly
too many, way too many suffer abuses like this and worse…
it is animal instinct to pick on the smallest, weakest in the pack. but humans have taken this to a level beyond what any should suffer.
poverty, ignorance and the trend towards Not having extended family around- those who would normally share some of the burden of raising children- are all contributing factors.
amazing imagery, thank you