SACRIFICED

She always aimed to make her feel valued,

that little girl needed to feel appreciated.

This applied to everything she did,

from bedtime stories to mortgage payments.

She overshadowed the older one,

ensuring she felt securely attached,

while simultaneously fearing abandonment.

The mother always tended to this wound,

a self-inflicted one,

from her own childhood.

She was starving,

trying to help her mother feed five other children,

born due to a drunken father.

You'd think that if you're poor

you wouldn't have turned away

every so often.

That's the rule,

one that no one has ever followed.

Since then, everything has changed.

Everyone's eager to show off

how much compassion they can muster

for a woman who escaped

to a smaller community to rule.

Her priorities shifted:

whoever supported her views

could stand beside her,

even if she had created

a replica of her own home -

abusive and full of fear,

where once a fire had almost ravaged

the entire estate.

So, is this just for the firstborn?

It doesn't matter; sacrifice this sort.

“We don't want any criticism.

We know things.

We know better than you.

We have the money. We can kill all our dogs.

We can take your private belongings and claim to respect you.

We have our own dictionary.

Our neighbours will protect us;

they'll defend us if they hear a sound

of a blow to your head.

We'll tell them it was you

who changed our perspective.

A little spanking won't hurt,

you won't find a boyfriend anyway.

You're locked away, medicated, and silenced.

We're the broken ones who created this mess.

Your words mean nothing; we've done this to ourselves.

So, you will respect us, though we offer none in return.”

- Pursed lips, averting gaze.