Words Of a Feather

Oleanders are gorgeous, coming in all the shades of love

Pure, white love that is complacent, mutual, and beneficial

An era of compassion, trust, and loyalty

Childish, pink love that allows two to embrace their inner humor

Excitement and zest blooming from this flower

Daring, devoted, red love that bonds people through any situation

Red pushes people to do what they need to do for who they love

These colors combine to create the everlasting divinity of the oleander flower’s petals

But what is underneath those petals?

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When we are young, we must cherish our parents

The people who created us, put a roof over our heads, feed and clothe us

The people who push us to succeed every day

For years, we make Mother’s Day gifts and play for Father’s Day

We show our love, we grow our petals, with hugs and kisses on the cheek

When we wake up and smile, these are the first people we see

As their smiles dawn onto our faces and make our days

When we go to bed, they are the last we see

Tucked in at night, told a story, or anything of the sort to provide the comfort

So comfortable and secure, you could shake me and I wouldn’t budge

And throughout the day, whether we are with them or not

We could feel their aura combine with ours to make us feel safe

For even when we were alone, we couldn’t be lonely

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Our parents serve as the pillars of our livelihood

They help us understand the world when it is too big to comprehend

They teach us what must be taught

We feel the eternal trust and love for the familiarity of our family

The people we were born to love

The people we would always love

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Then one night came in

And showed us more than the petals

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We may have made a mistake, not for the first time or for the last

Normally, it would be brushed off

Sins would be forgiven

We were around 11-13 and did something wrong

Or failed to do something at all

And the parents’ faces squeezed with disgust, anger

This sin was unforgivable, and in fact, it warranted their annoyance

Annoyance

An emotion we never understood they felt towards us

We believed these mistakes were endearing, but no

They were pierced back into us with the vile Sword of the Tongue

And assorted with the punishment needed

A moment that could never be forgiven or forgotten

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These moments became a routine as we watched our backs

Mistakes were blasphemous to life itself

Even when it was a purposeful fault, fear could crack into us

Misbehavior or miserable behavior couldn’t be tolerated

The parents would strike into our bodies

Ripping off the flesh and bones every time

And these moments would revert to normal, but there would be new blood clots

Suffocating in the poison of the oleander seemed to be all there could be

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Rules

Rules were tied across our necks as we walked on a tightrope

Straining us as they were slowly pulled off of us

It seemed as though the world was a cage

No

The world was outside of the cage

There was never a chance to breathe as the rope grew tighter on us and steeper to walk on

Sometimes, the rules made me dizzy and fall as they changed

From “60 minutes on the phone” to “16 minutes”

Rules could be easily followed, but they were glowsticks

Once one was broken, more had to be, even if the joy ran out

Because we are young and cheer is all we desire

The rules still strangled us and made less and less sense of the world

Yet the parents were simply “asserting authority”

Of course, some rules were sensible

And those ordered to follow them lacked the common sense to

Throwing around words like “unfair” and “selfish”

As if those words don’t define the child itself

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More discord and chaos emerged from the house

Leeching off of the brawls of the family

Tiny inconveniences turned into small disputes

Small disputes morphed into average arguments

And said argument would grow up to lead to fights

Whether or not rooms should be clean

What to wear

What to do

How to live

If one got into an argument with us, the other would support their lover

Even if we were right

The parents have become more… exposed

The skin of their hearts were ripped apart, revealing the bitterness they hold

The world’s reasons for cynicism explored in the parents’ bodies

And now, we are the victims of the poison of the oleander

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Where are those loving eyes?

That warm smile?

The trust from parent to child?

Was it all false? All for naught?

Or was it meant to disguise the poison?