Read Poem: You, by Ashley Corcoran

Genre: Family

 
you were seven
and a half
your mother told you
to hide,
quick
before your father came home
with a temper
and a belt

you were sixteen
and pregnant
your baby’s father
out running
his fingers
through someone else’s hair
while your morning sickness
kept yours
pinned back

you were twenty six
holding a new baby
in your arms
i’d kept you up for
three months
and your husband
comes home to
remind you
he would kill you
if you fell asleep
holding me

you were thirty three
holding me in your arms
as you wept
that it would be just us
now
it would be just us
now

you were thirty seven
and on a stress leave
from your back breaking
minimum wage job
trying with all your might
to stop me from becoming
my father
as you watched your little girl
drink
until she forgot