Antoinette

How we grew up.

The screams blew through the house.

Whistling between every crack and peel, 

Howling through the floor boards. A

Never ending yell, plea, cry for attention. 

 

It squeaked and shrieked when I attempted:

To move. Fixing us in place for an eternity. 

Beating a million miles per second my hand flew

Over my chest and yours over your own. 

 

We wondered when we\'d stop saying this was

A home. It didn\'t make any sense to lie, 

To pretend that we were all right because 

I was scared for my life. 

 

Scared we\'d never be any better than what

We were. Scared that our skills would fall into 

The shadows of where we came from and 

How we were forced to live. 

 

I know you were worried about me the most. 

I know you wanted to protect me, the way

Big brothers do. But we were both stuck in a lie. 

Where we had the lives of our friends. 

 

I remember it all so well. 

A place words cannot describe; 

Where our clothes folded into a draw each

And our food remain stationary in the small fridge. 

 

You\'re better now. You\'ve grown. 

So have I. We don\'t have to go back, 

Just don\'t forget where this all started. 

A single room, no flooring, no colour on the walls, 

No furniture, no friends and no parents worth calling

A mother... or father. Don\'t forget that. 

 

You\'ve got money and success, 

I\'m on my way. I promise. And 

I won\'t hold it against her, you wouldn\'t 

Want me to do that. Thank you.