My Father's House

There used to be a place

I could see

From the dark

I didn’t have to

Walk towards it

It would come

To me

You could hear it

Before you could see it

Because the air

Would go soft

And your ears

Would pick up

The sound of respect

The respect of a place

Left alone

By the dangers

Around it

I would pull up

Or run up

And the side door

Was always unlocked

And it was left unlocked

For me

I’d come in

Lock it behind me

And go to sleep

In the room

Off the kitchen

Knowing

That whatever was chasing me

Wouldn’t know

To find me here

What did you do

To that room?

No, it was here

I remember it

Being here

I slept in it

All those nights

I’d be running

Through the field

Hearing the police

Calling out my name

Because they didn’t know

Whose kid I was

They didn’t know

Where I was going

To run to

So why’d you board up

The room?

Did you not want me

To come back?

Dad couldn’t have

Moved out

He was too old

He was too old

To go anywhere

So old

He’d sit upstairs

And call down to me

The next morning

And that’s how I’d wake up

Then I’d make breakfast

And bring it up to him

And he’d ask me

What kind of trouble I was in

And I’d tell him

And he’d slap me

Upside my head

Then have me

Bring him the phone

From downstairs

And he’d make the calls

And next thing you know

I could walk into town again

And nobody would say a thing

The night I slashed Mitch’s throat

Was the worst

Because they tried to stop me

From getting here

I saw them

They came into the clearing

And walked

Right up to the front door

I saw them

From the window

In the side bedroom

But wouldn’t you know

They didn’t knock

They didn’t dare

Knock

They might have wanted me

To come out

And turn myself over

But I wasn’t going to do that

Who was gonna

Take care of my Dad

If I went to jail?

I knew that

Dad knew that

So they left that night

And told Mitch’s girl

That a drifter killed him

Nobody ever said

It was me

But I went running anyway

Because I didn’t feel like

Never leaving this house again

And that’s how it was going to have to be

If I wanted to stay protected

I let time cool things off

And that wasn’t

That long ago

So how come

Now that I’m back here

You’re telling me

My father doesn’t live here anymore?

Don’t lie to me

I’m a reasonable man

But my daddy didn’t raise me

To listen

To lies