faith in the form of an empty room

a father to beat you and
then a mother
to nurse you back to health

cancer maybe
or an accidental overdose

the forest your sister
gets lost in

no magic involved and
no fate

no superstition

no irony and
twenty years is a long
time to not be anywhere

there are more than enough
reasons to hate yourself but
                  none are needed

the mirrors gather dust

the windows fill in with
frost with soot with the
grime of passing cars and
dying towns and christ was
never your fault but

we’ll blame you
anyway

we’ll stand in the back
doorway waiting for the
children to come home

there will never be
enough light
to show them the way