Mistaken Identity

The mother lay in a stupor filled

With alcohol and drugs,

The twins lay wet in the carry-cot

And screamed at the top of their lungs,

The boyfriend of the moment sat

At a bar in a nearby town,

Drinking away the welfare cheque

And taking them further down.

 

Sally Pearce was a homely girl

As such, and easily led,

Many a teenage male had found

His way to her maiden bed,

They bought her favours with alcohol

And hooked her on cocaine,

They so befuddled her mind that she

Could not remember her name.

 

So Jack had her in the morning when

The sun was low in the sky,

While Derek had her at lunch when she

Had snorted coke, and was high,

She carried the seeds of both of them

And both of them found a home,

Embedded deep in her ovaries

As she lay drugged out, alone.

 

So when she heard she was having twins

She didn’t know who to blame,

But thought it must be the first of them

So gave the twins Jack’s name,

She didn’t know that their fathers were

As different as chalk and cheese,

For Jack passed on a criminal gene

While Derek passed S.T.D’s.

 

The first one born was Timothy,

With a mop of jet black hair,

Then twenty minutes to follow on

Came Adam, so pale and fair,

They could have been Cain and Abel

If she’d only studied the book,

For Adam was such a happy child

While Tim had an evil look.

 

She hardly saw them growing up

They learned to fend for themselves,

They’d go and ransack the kitchen

Pulling the food right off the shelves,

The boyfriends came and the boyfriends went

In a long, continuous line,

They didn’t know what a father was

Nor a mother, most of the time.

 

The only love that they ever knew

Was their love for the brother twin,

For they were the only constants as

The others came out and in,

While Adam took to his books and proved

A whiz at Math in his school,

Timothy fought a constant war

To tell the truth, he was cruel.

 

He punched the boys and tortured the girls

And dipped their plaits in the ink,

Protected Adam from bullies and fools

But never had cause to think,

Adam went on to Uni while

Timothy took to the street,

Dealing in drugs, and taking home

Enough for his mother to eat.

 

Adam had met a girl called Gaye

She liked that his eyes were brown,

He gave her his sophomore ring one day

Escorted her round the town,

She wanted to meet his brother, Tim

But Adam would not be drawn,

He said that his brother had gone away

‘Til he called one day, to the dorm.

 

Timothy’s eyes had met with Gaye’s

And they felt a shock of delight,

For opposites often attract, they say,

As day will follow on night,

For Gaye was ripe with an innocence

That will fall for an evil spell,

So Timothy started meeting her

In the quad, by the old stairwell.

 

They found her body at Easter-time

Down an old storm-water drain,

Raped and beaten, her throat was cut,

And they said, ‘He must be insane!’

Adam was taken down to the cells

And grilled for almost a day,

‘You were the girl’s last boyfriend,

We’ll be taking your D.N.A.’

 

The D.N.A. was almost a match

Enough for a guilty plea,

While Adam strongly denied the charge,

‘It certainly wasn’t me!’

He didn’t mention his brother’s name,

But hoped he would see the day

When Timothy came to visit him,

But Timothy went away.

 

They came for him in the dawning light

And marched him into the shed,

His lips were trembling as he stood

And bit his lip ‘til it bled,

‘Any last words you’d like to say

Before you pay for your sin?’

The rope had tightened around his neck

When he almost whispered, ‘…’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[lovelydark&deep]

This piece was absolutely beautiful. The words whisper a song of a cruel life into my ear. I loved the way it was written and how much depth was in the words. It is a sad tale that we often see, no matter how hard we try and better ourselves there is always someone out there who wishes to drag us down. Excellent writing!

[hari krishnaa]

a true foresight in this current affairs... it must be dedicated to those who spent their beautiful life with alcohol and drugs and finally messed up with bitterness of disease and death..

[Baby Ricochet]

Good one

[Pax]

a horrifying ending...
you painted a scene that humans repeatedly had done throughout the history...
darkly and very much well written...
well done again...

[TheAnthonyMiller]

So old fashioned, and dark. It completely drew me in.

[william keepers]

David, I don't know what it is. Bizzare coincidence perhaps, but I seem to get something caught in my eye when I read your work... Anyway, this may be a tale from the past, but sadly it still applies today.
Adam protected his brother with the hope that his brother would see the light and come forward. He didn't, yet Adam sacrificed himself anyway. He sacrificed himself for a lost cause.
Someone else we all know sacrificed himself about two thousand years ago... Can we step forward and not be lost causes?

[*** Hey Jude***]

Never a disappointment to read your work David. As I read, the expression of passion held in this narration brings one to pause along the way. Reminding as you share these realities, changes always can be made in one’s life if our “free” makes choice to do so. Always wonderful journey to behold in your ever-evolving work. You amaze! ~ :-)

[sheistheone]

When he almost whispered....it wasn't me it was Tim!

Great poem, well done and suspenseful too!

luved it!

[Muse]

They say the apple never falls far from the tree. There's so much I want to say...it was like a sad Jerry Springer show. To think that this is being lived out over and over and over again. On a brighter note..."Adam" proves that the cycle can be broken...but was he already condemned at birth, your ending suggest yes; yes he was. Sigh....like Jesus he dies to cover the sins of his brother. Amen

[Lena M. P.]

How very frightening a story of biblical proportions in a modern day setting. Too often these days many women cannot name the fathers of their children. It is a sad state but too often true. As for the children, they are born with a mark on them that is near impossible to erase.

[Damien Davison]

Intense and relatable to many in this day and age... I greatly enjoyed the ending, ending it with ""..."", great job as always.