What My Sister Taught Me Poem by Curtis Johnson

What My Sister Taught Me
By Curtis Johnson

A few years ago, one of my younger sisters said to me, "Daddy was a bully".
I never thought of him as such, because I felt he always delivered his threats
I was forced to ponder the possibility as we continued our conversation

We were relating a time involving our older sister who wanted to attend
An innocent Jr. High School Prom event, but daddy said absolutely not
Both mother and my sister pleaded with him, and the discussion became heated

All of us younger kids gathered and looked in upon the show, but daddy said, "No! "
Then the unthinkable happened. Yes, my sister stood up to dad saying, "You are wrong! "
We all knew that it would be the end of our sister, and waited for her to be slapped to the floor.

Had she lost her mind? Did she not know better than to argue with daddy and risk his wrath?
Had my sister grown tired of our daddy having everything go his way, whether right or wrong?
I could not imagined what possessed my sister to risk it all; but instantly, she became my hero

Shocked and awed, we had witnessed the unbelievable when daddy relented and consented.
The lesson was not one of defiance, but one of courage in the face of fear and intimidation.
And there was a lesson that our father was also human, and needed to understand his family
Cj02062015PS; PH