Paternity Poem by Justin Reamer

Turning his back on all of us,
He knew what he did wrong,
For he was done with us,
And ready to go on
With his life as he knew it.
He was my father,
Turning to no one for
Redemption, atonement, or expiation,
Hatred always crossing his mind,
For betrayal was his name,
Adultery was his game,
And the profane was what he blamed.
Abusive he was in his
Emotions, his thoughts,
Speech, and actions,
And violent he was with all of us
Like a barbarian making a war cry
Or a beast hunting its prey in the night.
How gruesome was his abhorrence,
With cruelty at every whim,
Insanity in his head,
As Rostolnikhov nearly underwent,
For he was malevolent,
Playing us by our weaknesses,
Smirking at our pain,
Smiling at our torture,
As he ripped us limb from limb,
Stealing our hearts,
Tearing them from our vulnerable chests,
And dangling forever on end,
And making the pain start,
Which was worse than incest,
For ‘twas that we could not mend.
Damn him for what he did,
For negligence is better than pain,
For there is no one he can turn to,
For redemption is not near,
And atonement not on site,
But damn him forever more,
For I dare not see his face again,
With his foul expressions not lending an ear,
May we end this interminable freight!