Hide

Thin skin. The skin I’m in. 

Thinning more each day.

Shin skin. Chin skin.

Shedding along the way.

What’s the skin, but boundary? 

What’s you is outside my hide; 

What’s inside my hide is me. 

What becomes of hide if you slide?

Thin shin & chin skin. Slide into home; tear-up my hide.

What a metaphor my sore knees were for sliding into home. 

Nearly everyday, on my way from the Fox’s house to home, 

I’d slide in all alone... 

Scrape my knees

On gravel in between 

Our houses on top of the hill. 

You could hear me scream so shrill. 

Needing comfort, needing knees to be tended to. 

See me! See how coming home hurt, won’t you?!

My Conception Journey ended with a bumpy landing. 

WAIT! 

Wrong womb! 

W-A-A-A-I-T!! I was pushed! 

W-A-A-A-A-A-I-I-I-TTTT! NO FAIR!!!

I didn’t mean to DROP in H-E-E-E-E-R-E!!!

Take me baaaaack to baby heaven.

Let me choose the folks for me!

NO! NOT this place, please!

These are not my people!

Mercifully, mom could sing - even though her sight was blocked.

Mercifully, mom could rock - ‘though she knew not that daddy’s cock 

was going where it shouldn’t ought.

Let me hide my hide so he won’t whup it.

Let my hide be spared his rod.

Let me hide my hide so he won’t see it.

Let my hide be spared, by God!

I couldn’t believe in God on high

When daddy s-l-i-m-e-d me - mouth to thigh

Daren’t ask Jesus’ help to fly...

He’d asked so nice and was left to die!

Hiding hide became my practice

Closet safety my specialty

Hide my hide in trees and grasses

Great outdoors my sanity

Daddy drinks and daddy stinks

Just the same as Don

Fox... and Jacky’s daddy John

All daddies drink and stink, me thinks

All the daddies and their wives 

Are running for their lives

Just after war, lest we forget

Water forgets not it’s wet

Big brother is a bother

Acting much the same as father

Drank at ten when I was four

Drank from then and ever more

Who will save this freckled hide?

Who will mend this mangled pride

Who, indeed, can make it better?

Grammy, maybe. Wrapped in her sweater

I’m protected and calm

Her love, her prayer - a healing balm

At her house, I can be seen

And daddy here is rarely mean

Grammy sees me, so does Nora

Kay Harris, too, shore ‘n’ begorrah

It takes so little to help a kid

Just see her and she stops the skid

From light to total dark

She turns, rebounds with every quark

Going lightward full speed ahead

Going upward, shedding dread

Soon there’ll be no need to hide

With daddy on the other side

I’ll write and sing without any fears

Wet cheeks’ reward are joyful tears

So, Memorial Day plays double duty

Commending Dad and Bro 

Who fought for country, love and beauty

Not so very long ago

I remember, too, the girl whose hide has healed

Whose sentence was repealed

The one whose gratitude is infinite

For Grammy’s love like granite

The rock on which I could depend

Foundation of love unconditional

I suppose it’s simply traditional

That Gran’mother’s love never ends.

Heidi Hi, Heidi Ho.

Heal the hide and away we go!