Abandoned - Mel Afoa

Started off as a small fight,
arguing over the stupidest of things,
mother throwing curses and bullet-firing words,
father throwing blunt and sharp objects of the house.
Turned into a weekly argument,
hugging my little sister under the blanket,
sheltering her from the cold and from the pain,
hearing mother's cries, daddy's deadly tantrums.
Mother would come home late at night,
her dress ruffled, her eyes bloodshot,
smelling of alcohol, smelling of adultery,
her signs of revenge.
Father retaliates the same, only worse,
coming home in the early hours of the morning,
entering rooms, smashing their contents,
the smell of burning furniture now lingering in the house.
Decisions are made for the four of us to seperate for a while,
and I am put in the care of Mother's parents,
whilst Sister is taken by Father's sister,
and everytime Mother and Father visit us, always seperately,
there's always a feeling of desperations, lost love and lost hope.
The divorce papers are pulled out,
the lawyers arrive at the doorstep, the judge begins to sit in court,
the prenups are drawn, the arguing on replay,
and the two daughters are left at the back of the room abandoned.

He gives me the biggest, warmest hugh he has given me,
brushing his lips on my forhead, and I could feel the stuble.
With that, he smiles sadly, promises to see me one day,
and walks out of the house, out of my life, out of my world.

She kisses me a last goodbye,
her strawberry-flavoured lips touch my cheek,
whispers my name softly, slowly,
and walks out the door with a small nod, and a few tears.

When Sister grows up. when she becomes older,
I'll make sure she grows up with love and care,
acknowledging the family and friends that surrounded her everyday,
acknowledging the parents she had who were too stubborn,
too busy to raise the daughters they abandoned on their way to a new beginning.