when I tried to explain
that I missed school for a week
because my mom wouldn’t let us go.
No one believed me
when I tried to explain
that she couldn’t sign our report cards
because she tore them up.
How could I explain that sometimes
there was no food in the house?
How could I explain that sometimes
she stayed in her housecoat all week?
How could I explain that sometimes
she sat in the living room late at night crying?
Instead of trying to explain
that we weren’t allowed to answer
the door or the phone, I lied.
I told the lies that were expected
convinced I was protecting my mother,
my family, and myself.
Instead, my lies absolved those
who did not want to hear,
or bear the responsibility
of acting upon,
the truth.
