a babe's eye view

how you view the world is from a long time ago

a babe's eye view --

imagine mama

with dark glasses

and daddy's beard --

imprinted memories ...

mama swaddles you,

keeps you warm,

daddy loves you

hugs you tight.

flash forward a few years.

women with glasses,

and men with beards.

mama shakes you,

does you harm,

daddy touches you

in the night.

flash forward a few years.

women with glasses

and men with beards.

perception,

is everything.

from cradle

to the grave.

Author's Note

I apologize for the video ahead of time. It isn't graphic but it is disturbing.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

poignant ... precise strike to the gut ... well done says i! if only abusive people would be as shaken as i by reading your poem ..well done indeed ...closing is fantastic ..very powerful poem!
:(
E.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. All parents should be shaken into the realization that their actions shape the next generation.

[Coyote Poetry]

Powerful and true words dear friend.
"perception,
is everything.
from cradle
to the grave."
The above lines are true. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you very much for the review.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome dear friend.

[Beccy]

'Perception is everything,' Indeed, and this is so perceptive.

I have a son, Charlie, he's nine, almost ten. His father is a long, long way away and has been since Charlie was just a few months old. You only get the one chance; and for me, the worry is; 'I am getting it right?'

Beccy.

[Lyn Anderson]

You get me. It's a hard road, and hopefully, we try our best and don't falter too badly.

[Lydia Shutter]

Perception...it's all in what we bring to the party, isn't it? We view things from a different angle at different times of life. Unfortunately, life makes us see things differently. Lydi**

[Lyn Anderson]

For sure, for better or for worse, life's challenges shape us. Sometimes negative perceptions can destroy us, or make us stronger.

[Gee]

Both sides of the coin in one hit. Hard hitting but true, sadly.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. What we do when our children are young shapes a lot of their lives.

[boblakin]

Once, in a different time, I witnessed a bunch of little kids lining the streets, screaming expletives and throwing stones as we drove by in convoy. They weren't really old enough to spell the words they were using, let alone understand why they were using them.

'Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.' - Aristotle,

boblakin

[Lyn Anderson]

Yes, you are very right. Thank you for stopping in.

[Rita L. Sev]

Woah. You hit both ends with this one - so sad, so true...

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks hon, while we'd all like to go through life feeling like we give our kids the best of us, sometimes our actions have unintended results.

[V]

I like how you visualized it, your word use is very clear though also a truly sad and hateable story.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you so much for stopping in and reviewing.

[V]

Anytime.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is really sad...i hate abuse of children more than anything in the world...can't defend themselves and end up feeling they are the guilty ones...too much to carry...just not fair...

really strong writing here. especially repetition of the chorus.

j.

[Lyn Anderson]

Everything we do shapes our kids. I only hope I can pour on enough good to outweigh the bad. How sad it makes me that my nine year old knows no other way than to respond to anything she doesn't like with screaming at me. I blame myself for that, for that's what she saw and heard her whole life up until 6 years old.

[barleygirl]

Your story reminds me of a barren tree in winter, not filled out at all, but it's easy to visualize the full picture of what you're saying here. This is true of adopted older pets, too . . . the ones who flinch when you raise your hand, as you try to imagine the life they lived before you adopted them. Great job on an important topic (((HUGS)))

[Lyn Anderson]

How we act often is reflective of how we were raised, even as we rise above the bad, it shapes our world view. Thank you, for your kindness, as one who knows firsthand.