Lightning crashing,
Fists thrashing,
Daddy lashing,
out on me.
Try to be a better daughter.
Daddy works out at the slaughter
house. If I'm bad he'll show me his knife.
If I'm bad he may take my life.
*
Daddy out until night falls
Wouldn't answer or return mommy's calls
We wait until he arrives.
Daddy's trunk is full of knives.
Each night we're lucky he doesn't take our lives.
*
Sitting at the dinner table
Clinging onto my seat
The whiskey bottle and daddy's lips would meet
Mother would bring up the fact that the bills haven't been payed.
Daddy would bring up that she was just a maid.
Daddy would slap her.
Mommy would cry.
Looking at her when she's like that makes me want to die.
*
Tonight mommy and I are baking a cake
I do not know why.
"We'll serve it to daddy"
She says with a smile
I haven't seen her smile like that in a while.
Mommy pours milk, cracks the eggs,
Pours a little bottle of something in the batter
I don't know what it was but it doesn't matter.
We set the oven timer to 24
minutes.
*
I look outside. It's starting to pour.
Daddy will be here soon
He's probably out at the bar with his friends.
He'll be home before the night ends.
We set the cake out to cool and frost every inch
Daddy yells at me whenever I flinch
*
He gets home finally
He stumbles up to the door
"Happy Birthday Daddy! We've made you a cake"
It's already been cut so I don't know why mommy is taking out a knife.
Hides it behind her back as daddy takes a bite.
*
Lightning crashes. The power goes out.
"Well Happy birthday to me"
Daddy says sarcastically.
"Light some damn candles, Marie"
He screams.
Mommy does so as Daddy finishes the cake.
Mommy puts a candle right by daddy's side.
Every night is a night that she has cried
In about an hour daddy falls on the floor.
Mommy takes out the knife she had before.
She tells me to go to my room
I do as I'm told
But as I climb up on my bed I hear daddy scream.
Run downstairs to see what's happening.
See daddy in a pool of blood
Mommy just stands there
Looking him over
She sees me
Mommy tries to speak
I run up to her and cry
Why mommy why
*
Mother and me start to pack.
She's saying we'll never come back
We fit all we can in the back of daddy's truck
Mommy starts the truck
We drive away
Maybe I'll see daddy again someday
We drive a lonely road
Quiet all the way
In a pool of blood daddy still lay
*
Where are we going?
I don't know
All I know is we can't go home
