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    • IMPACT Team
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  • Issues
    • 2022: Ergo >
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    • 2021: Reformation >
      • Writing
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      • Performance
    • 2020: The Revival
  • Contact

little blue house

by MK Coolican
the little blue house on the corner of the street
small and quaint in the invisible heat 
of family struggles submerged beneath a crystal clear surface of the ocean blue

the bruise blossoms on his cheek
bloody and blue but he can’t speak because if he do, daddy’s fist will make its way back
to him like glue

blue jeans his daddy wears to work
only to come home with that drunken smirk 
that little boy knows too well, is always accompanied with the smell, of blue curacao,
tequila, or beer

all he can hear is the low hum, of daddy’s snoring 
whilst he’s knocked out on the couch with a tummy full of rum
the bottle of little blue pills lays open on the floor, while drugs cascade down daddy’s
throat like little boy has seen before 

he touches daddy’s face rough, ragged, and unshaven 
not knowing that his childhood has long since caved-in

the tears stream down his face like blue water to a river 
the impact hits and little boy lets out a quiver 
as the well known taste of blood, salted and metallic, reaches his lips and quickly
numbs his palate

little boy blames himself for his father’s abuse 
while in reality there is no excuse 
for adults to hurt kids that they chose to reproduce 

little boy is held prisoner to his captor of trauma
after years of watching his ever so desperate mama
plead and fight with her disgrace of a spouse
until the day she gets out and they’re at the courthouse

now little boy is met with an impossible choice
which parent to pick and to listen to whose voice
to us the answer is simple pick mom over dad
but to that naive little boy he suddenly becomes sad

to him, he feels allegiance to both
and as mom and dad then take the oath
he realizes that the damage is already done
the court has ruled and his mom has won

even though the rightful parent gained full custody
the entire ordeal affected that little boy’s destiny
it’s not entirely the physical abuse that changed little boy’s life
but watching his dad simultaneously lose himself, his kid, and his wife
​

nearly 700,000 children are abused in America every year
the mistreatment is present but it’s not always clear
so don’t believe just what you see
if you encounter that little blue house call 

1-800-422-4453
​Artist Statement
I want to use my writing to bring awareness to global issues that might not always be on the forefront of everyone's minds, especially politicians. With my poem "Little Blue House", I hope to allow readers to experience the real and raw realities of child abuse, because I feel that when you know the truth behind an issue, it often sparks more reaction than if it were to be sugar-coated.
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