I don’t know what went so wrong that day,

It happened before my own life began,

You met a man, you fell in love,

Turned that man into my father,

You forgot, however, to turn that man from 

Being a bigot,

An emotional bully was his nature,

He raised children like a Sergeant Major.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day,

It happened when I was about four,

You met a man, a first aid carer,

He knew how to set a broken bone,

You forgot that he also knew how to break them too,

Weeks in hospital for you,

Foster homes for us, unexcited,

All the love we had for each other, was divided.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was just about seven,

You met a man who held a knife to your throat,

You turned the other cheek again, 

He forgot to, turn from his violence,

Turn from his destruction,

His terror, hot like molten metal,

No better than Mr Hyde without Dr Jekyll.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was just about nine,

You met a man who was ashamed that you 

Wanted to support your ailing father,

You forgot he cared less than nought,

For parents,

Or Grandparents, 

Anyone other than him was an annoyance,

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was just about ten,

You met a man with little compassion,

Your pre-married life caught you up, 

You forgot he was easily embarrassed,

When you showed hurt,

When you showed pain,

You were nothing more than a failure again.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was also about ten,

You met a man of contradiction,

Couldn’t love but wanted another child by adoption,

You forgot to be convinced by his humanity,

For his orphaned nephew,

For his blood,

If he couldn’t adopt him, then no one else should.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was about eleven,

You met a man hell-bent on adoption,

Another child, offspring of a wayward mother,

You forgot what a great parent he said he was,

Another girl to try again,

Press restart as default,

Prove the unworthy attic flowers, were not his fault.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was about sixteen,

You met a man hated by his children,

Who all left home during the same year, 

You forgot to warn him it was happening,

Two got married, and moved out of home,

One, myself, moved out from his gaze,

Now, the man was lonely, with only you to power craze.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day,

It happened when I was about twenty-one,

You met a man who cared nothing for his offspring,

He needed, wanted to control and divide us,

We forgot what a bastard he was,

We fought with fists, till blood,

He got his prize.

I left you at his mercy, I apologise.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day,

It happened when I was about thirty,

You met a man unphased by your family heartbreaks,

As your only son emigrated,

You forgot to tell the man it was his fault,

Again I left you,

I could no longer stay,

I will be back for you someday.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was about Forty,

You met a man, of the people, for the people,

Someone should have organised a revolution,

They forgot to curtail his onerous leadership,

By himself,

Just for himself,

Residents committee of his oneself.

 

I don’t know what went so wrong that day, 

It happened when I was in my late Fifties,

You met a man and loved him for sixty years,

He’d degraded you beyond belief,

You never forgot to tell him daily of your love, 

Several near attempts to kill you,

Basic dignities denied, 

Unfortunately, you gave in to him and died.

 

I don’t know what went so right that day, 

It happened when I was in my sixties,

The man you meet all those years ago died,

Funeral organised for and by his family sycophants

He forgot to be a role model, someone I would miss

He’s gone

We’re all free

Doors of life no longer locked by the dictatorial turnkey