Ogre

You kept us in check alright. Hugged us
With a thuggery unrivalled on our street.
You'd bruise with your bellow, lurching through bedrooms;
Knuckling at dusters; Rubbing spit upon faces;
Tormenting the dishes. You were clatter,
The business, and if one of us resisted,
Your words had the power to
Rip the spines off our backs.

One afternoon, while you slept, I moved close,
Ran my fingers along the red scar in your side;
The one that I’d made. Deep as the earth’s crust,
Still nowhere near deep enough to be the end of you.