Bless me Father
for I have sinned.
My last confession was
in a previous life;
before I became
the apple of your eye
before I had
knowledge of good and evil
before I knew
any serpent
in the biblical sense
before I cried
alone in the garden
before I became
the lamb
the sacrifice
before you opened me
with your lance
and blood and water
flowed out
before thy will
not my will
was done
over
and over again.
Damn you father
for you have sinned.
Over at http://dversepoets.com/2015/03/10/pst-pst-have-a-confession-tell-us-a-secret/ Anthony has asked us to write a poetic confession. I sort of made that into confessional poetry with a twist. In the interest of full disclosure (which I do not recommend for poets, but am doing anyway) I have never been sexually abused by anyone, clergy or otherwise. But someone who I love has been, so these are my words about her experience.
In Other Words 
And yet again, another horrible story of this sort of abuse. it is always so heart breaking to hear. And this is a poem truly with a twist. Too many innocents have been abused in this fashion. But I have no idea how to stop the monsters from doing it. Good write in spite of the pain. Excellent twist.
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Thank you very much!
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I don’t know how to stop it either, except that people need to keep speaking out. Thank you Kanzensakura.
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the greatest sin seems to be by those who abuse authority
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Yes, I agree. And it’s so terrible when it’s the very people we are supposed to trust.
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Yes, I agree.
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Like Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility”
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Very good. My spidey senses are tingling. :o)
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Such a terrible tragedy to fall on someone so young and trusting the clergy and church ~ The ending was sharp & unexpected ~ After reading your note, I read it again and this time understood what really happened ~ Good one Mary ~
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dang….tight and fierce verse mary….father in reality as well…ugh…
this had the same ferocity i feel in “eve’s sestina for adam”
by lucy anderton…if you havent read or heard it look it up…
but a bit different subject matter…
you went after this one mary..
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Thanks Brian. I will look that up. And just did. That’s an amazing poem. Thank you even more Brian.
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my mother was abused as a child… they say the ones closest to you have the power to hurt you the most, and some use that power…
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I’m so sorry she had to go through that. And the closer the abuser, the deeper the wound.
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The problem since the beginning of any order in the history of mankind is ” who will guard the guardians?” Here its about who will guard the moral values of the people whom we trust for showing us the path. One of the main reason for more and more people becoming agnostics.
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Your spot on with that observation. And I think the larger problem is that the institution covers it up and allows it to continue. Such hypocrisy…
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Its more like looking the other way for most of the people as at times we are scared to accept the reality and burst the bubble of a “civilized” society in which we live. Its good to know you. Keep writing! 🙂
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And you.
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I say with unfaltering truth that this poem had my jaw in my lap. Almost a contemporary “Daddy” by Plath. The venom sensed in the words, the punching biblical references, arranged back to back and cleverly manipulated. This is unbelievable, Mary. I’ll be repeatedly reading this. Bravo.
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Thank you very much Vesperteen. I admire Plath’s writing very much, so I really appreciate your kind words.
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This was heartbreaking! The last few lines were exceptionally powerful!
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Thank you Prajakta.
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ugh… sexual abuse is terrible – and even more if it’s done by someone who should protect us
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Absolutely right, Claudia.
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The last line – yes they need to be cursed… And not just by the victims but from authorities and society..
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Yes, not hidden and protected. Even if not cursed, at least not allowed to continue abusing.
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Well, this was excruciating; very well written.
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Thank you Anna.
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Really beautifully written and expressed. Just like a novel with a dawning realisation setting in as you keep reading. Well put.
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Thanks very much AA.
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Tight and intense, Mary. Nice new look on the blog.
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Thank you Ayala. I haven’t quite decided if I will keep both going or just concentrate on this one.
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This is so beautifully written….the biting irony in the words makes the sorrow and heartbreak so palpable. You bring out the truth of this story so authentically.
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Thank you C.C. I’m glad to comes across as authentic.
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Fantastic! Tragic and poignant all it once. Very impressive.
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Thank you, Mike.
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