Anonymous I
I remember how you tried
to protect me from him
when we moved to Edelfingen
how you would push me
under the bed
when he stomped up the stairs
in his oiled mood and black boots —
the ones he would spit-shine
each night
as he barked orders at Momma
and I remember the dread
of Sundays when he would laze
around the house naked
eating off of our little plates
as though we didn’t need
to be fed
and when he bothered
to pay us any mind
it was only to terrify
by bellowing maniacally,
“The bogeyman lives
in Unterbalbach!”
but we already knew
he had come with us.
