Chapter 1
Dad
Beneath the smiles, the warmth you bring,
I see the past, it stings, it clings.
A shadowed heart, a fractured soul,
The scars you left that never go.
They laugh with you, they feel your pride,
But I still remember the nights I cried.
When fear was home, and silence screamed,
When you weren’t the dad they’ve come to see.
You’ve grown, you’ve changed, you’ve turned a page, Yet I’m stuck here on a different stage.
They know the man you try to be,
But I can’t forget what you did to me.
So I hide the ache, I wear my mask,
Try not to dwell on the questions I ask.
Is there peace for a heart that still bleeds?
Or am I just a memory that you don’t need?
Mum,
She wears a face I can’t forgive,
A shadowed past that’s hard to live.
She broke me down, she made me small,
A mother’s love that wasn’t love at all.
With every word, a sharp-edged blade,
A twisted game of trust she played.
Bruises hidden, wounds run deep,
Nightmares of her I’ll always keep.
She took more than she’ll ever know,
Our dog, my hope, the man who’d go.
Burned the memories, turned to ash,
Of a father’s warmth, gone in a flash.
She drew the line, made walls so high,
Kept us from saying a final goodbye.
Grandad’s voice, a distant call,
Lost in the space where she built her wall.
It’s been seven years, she’s still the same,
Denies the guilt, dodges the blame.
Her silence now, a haunting ghost,
A mother’s love, the thing I fear most.
I carry the weight of all those days,
Every lie, every cruel way.
She may forget, she may pretend,
But I’ll never forget the way things end.
My life
In the fractured silence of my youth,
I dwells in shadows, robbed of truth,
A child of five with eyes too old, Whose heart was fractured, whose soul was sold.
My days were wrapped in sorrow’s shroud, my nights, a tempest, cold and loud, In a home where warmth was never found, Where love was a whisper, never sound.
At twelve, I drifts through endless night, In a world devoid of tender light, my spirit crumpled, worn so thin, A hollow shell where grief has been.
Loneliness, her constant, cruel friend, In empty rooms where echoes blend, Depression wraps her in its icy grip, With every breath, i feel the slip.
Anxiety’s chains, relentless, tight, Each thought a torment, each day a fight, In the sterile care where hope’s erased, my weary heart is lost, misplaced.
I dreams of fading, of slipping away, From a world that took my light and day, Yet in my eyes, despair’s cruel mark, A fading ember in the endless dark.
Each tear i shed is a silent plea, For an end to the suffering, to be set free, In the void where comfort’s long since fled, i yearn for peace, but finds only dread.
In the stillness of my weary heart, Where hope is fragile, yet a start, i find a glimmer, faint and small, In the midst of shadows, i will stands tall.
Through the darkest night and bitter cold, A path of healing slowly unfolds, With gentle hands and voices kind, A new strength within me begins to bind.
In the care of those who my her pain, I starts to mend, to feel again, A flicker of warmth, a touch of grace, Begins to soften my troubled space.
Counselors offer words that heal, And kindred spirits help me feel That I aint alone, not lost in night, But worthy of love, of tender light.
Each step I takes, though slow and frail, Is a victory, a breaking veil, From shadows that once held me tight, im finding ways to embrace the light.
The scars of the past will always be, A part of me, but they don’t decree my future, my strength, my will to fight, To find my place in the morning light.
So in my journey, though paths are steep, i learn to hope, to dream, to keep The faith that with time, i’ll see A life where I can finally be free.
Beth
She came into our world like a gentle breeze,
With kindness and warmth, she put us at ease.
Her laughter filled rooms, her smile felt like home,
She made my dad shine, no longer alone.
She’s a gentle hand when the days feel long,
A voice that brings comfort, like a favorite song.
She’s made him stronger, a better man too,
And showed him a love that feels honest and true.
Her heart holds a depth that’s tender and kind,
A love so sincere, it’s rare to find.
She’s the mum I wished for, but never had known,
A place to find safety, a love that’s grown.
Now she’s a mother with two kids of her own,
But in our hearts, she’s found a home.
She guides with patience, and she cares with grace,
Bringing a warmth no one else could replace.
I hope she stays, this wish I hold tight,
Through the quiet mornings, through starry nights.
For she made our family more whole and bright,
She’s the hope and the love that feels just right.
