Flashbacks

• Erin Smith, Grade 11, St John's Regional College
• Poetry
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Word Zone 2016' competition

She tries to be strong, tries to stand up tall,
But it becomes too much, she begins to fall,
Flashbacks start from five years ago,
She begged & begged, daddy, please don't go.
He slammed the door, couldn't look at his child,
Where's the Daddy that always smiled?
The smell of alcohol, stained on his breath,
It sparks memories, it smells like death.
She sat in the corner, door closed, eyes sealed,
And she realised that darkness was her only shield,
In the darkest hours, with no one for support,
She starts to turn to her last resort,
The scars that haunt her legs and her wrists,
It makes her so angry, her hands turn to fists,
It makes her so angry, it just isn't fair,
Because finding a loving father is so hard, so rare.