Introduction:
The true story continues of Sarah and her young daughter, Grace. Amidst the chaos and stress of her mother’s mental illness, Grace relied totally on her father for her survival as a young child. Although her father followed a very strict religion, he was a good caring provider. Beverley Joy.
Book Excerpt – The Wilted Rose Part 3 – The Wilted Rose
She would wake up feeling very scared of the noise he made early each morning, thinking someone was climbing in her window. Every night, after she and her brother had gone to bed, Grace would tippy toe out to the lounge room and sit on her father’s lap, as he watched television until she fell to sleep. She felt safe in her father’s arms. Safe from the nightmares she had from the strange noises in the night.
To be continued…
Kate Kelsen Author © All Rights Reserved
I love how this image shows the small child resting inside the adult hand. Beverley Joy
Image by sarahbernier3140 from Pixabay
Poem – A Daughter’s Trust
Religious rules of black and white
Of should and shouldn’t, right and wrong
You can, you can’t, you must obey
God is watching how I behave.
Break the rules and you will perish
Be isolated and alone
From everyone you’ve ever loved
And burn in hell with the devil.
The innocent child looked up at her father
With trusting eyes obeying this order.
Not only her father but her grandpa too
Taught her this belief for her own safety.
‘I trust you, daddy, you’re bigger than me
You’re older and smarter, you’ll look after me.’
‘I will follow your rules, I will not disappoint
You can count on me to obey perfectly.’
‘I need you to look at me with your approving smile
To say ‘Well done my child I’m pleased you won’t perish.’
‘Dad, you’re my prince, my knight in shining armour
You’re the type of man I want to marry.’
Her father never got mad at her, though he did toward her brothers
With disapproval in his eyes, she was sure they would perish.
She was always sweet, obedient and kind
So, her father wouldn’t frown and look disappointed.
She needed her father, the sane adult in her life
To protect her from the scary one, the monster called, ‘Mummy’.
‘Daddy, though my mum is sick and absent most of the time
You feed me and clothe me and protect me from harm.’
‘I need your love, I need your care
For my very survival and to exist in this world.’
She was too young to understand the difficult time her daddy faced
In the 1960s, it was not easy living with mum’s mental illness.
Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry © 2011 All rights Reserved.
Simply Story Poetry 
Leave a Reply