by HardOcean

Too young to understand why Daddy’s not around,
too young to understand the paid that led to internal warfare, blocking out sound. Too young to understand the consequences of Mommy’s actions and why it happened.
Too young to understand redemption is for all,
and forgiveness comes from acknowledgement,
acknowledging all involved,
that we’re all doing time,
that we all sit behind bars praying for a sign.
Too young to deal with off air,
form the side eye glance to the questionnaires…
the when, why what, how…
Where is Daddy? can I see him now?
Too young to understand why we can’t go
on that road-trip visit that parents and guardians try to shield from those
loved and lost, the paid that surrounds,
those cold tables families gather ’round.
Trying to make halves whole in thirty minutes,
the alarm sounds.
taking the warmth created from those round-table events, that only once in a blue moon some get.
To understand with knowledge comes wisdon,
to understand with forgiveness, you can live again,
takes a maturity God can give,
to sift through that pain of youth
while providing love and truth,
to all involved, redemption healing the scars.
Deeply needed,
because we all do the time when our loved ones go
-Behind Bars-

This piece was published in our 2026 anthology, A Secret Chord: Poetry, Stories & Art, by Out of the Woods Press.