Buried In Heart

Family

"The greatest gift is not a family that is perfect, but one that is real."
— Unknown

Family

They say a family is where you’re loved,
Where hearts are warm, where hands are gloved.
But in my home, it’s not the same—
I feel the sting, I bear the blame.

My mother’s eyes are cold and stern,
Her words like fire that slowly burns.
She speaks of love, but it’s not there,
Only disappointment fills the air.

She tells me I’m not good enough,
Her tone is sharp, her touch is rough.
I try my best, but never please,
Her heart remains a lock with no keys.

My father’s silence speaks so loud,
His disapproval is a cloud.
He never says a word of care,
Just a distant look, a hollow stare.

He’s always busy, far away,
But when he speaks, it’s just to say
How I should be something more,
As if I’m broken at the core.

And then my brother, he’s the pride,
The golden child who walks beside.
He’s perfect in their loving eyes,
While I am just the one they despise.

He doesn’t see the weight I bear,
The way they look, the way they glare.
He takes their love, and I don’t blame,
But it just deepens all my shame.

I try to speak, but words fall dead,
I’m just a shadow in their stead.
Their love’s a place I’ve never known,
A stranger in a house, alone.

So here I stand, a hollow shell,
In this cold home where sadness dwells.
I love them still, but it’s unclear
If they’ll ever hold me near.

I long for warmth, for something true,
But all I get is what I knew—
A mother’s scorn, a father’s sigh,
A brother’s life passing me by.

~ the blackboard