Drowned

I stayed adrift   

 But they thought I was still moving

(forward, forward they say)

I stayed awake

So they thought I was okay

(But I haven’t slept for days)

I waved at them,

And they waved me back

With smiles on their faces

(What good manners they have, they should’ve saved me instead)

I opened my mouth but only muffled words came out

The cold waters gushed and choked

Deep down my throat

(So I keep my lips shut, that’s the only thing could be done)

I wondered why they can’t see me

Submerged in water, deep blue sea

(Help, help, I can’t breathe)

The salty liquid’s invading

My lungs, my limbs, my intestines

(A bloated body, that’s me)

Ah, finally.

Ada’s War Cries

My Mam is one Wicked Witch,
Oh, how I wish she could switch!
Deep down in her cold-hearted soul, with stories untold,
She hates me skin-deep, especially my skyward toes!
She smacked and yanked and banged me against the wall,
With no mercy, not even when her child falls.
Go to hell you devil! That’s what her eyes flickered;
To make things worse, oh how she snickered!
She never let me walk, she never let me out:
Not with that ugly foot! She yelled,
So I crawled and crawled, confined in that one-room prison,
With a small window as my only freedom.
I don’t really care about space and all,
I want Jamie with me, that’s all!
But how could a little boy spend whole day indoors,
With friends and adventure awaiting him on the moor?
(He deserved to go out, he’s not like me)
So one fine day I tied him up nice and tight,
I wanted him to stay with me, all right!
Everything went wrong as he woke up helpless;
All teary and weary, he cried with his earnest!
You became like Mam! You became a monster!
I realised it too late; I’ve hurt my brother!
(I’m sorry I’m wrong I shouldn’t have hurt you;
It’s not your fault at all, go out and play, won’t you?)
That very night I waged a war with my foot:
I must learn to walk! Whatever the ordeal!
I'd shed more blood than I have shed my tears,
I’ll fight till the end; for I’m born a warrior!

*inspired and based on "The War that Saved My Life" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.