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That Happened To Me

Louria (Gabbard) Malveaux 1973 (Texas)

January 24 
Rhymed
Child molestation. That happened to me,
At that age of innocents, when I was just three.
Childhood stolen. That happened to me.
The molestation continued with an increasing degree.
More abuse every year. That, too, happened to me.
Their hurting your baby, how could this be?
Drug abuse at nine. Hey, that happened to me.
That's par for the course because one man's now three.
Stealing and lying. Yep, that happened to me,
But, those cries for help they just didn't see.
Suicidal behavior. That's happened to me.
Death is the answer now don't you agree?
Suicide attempts. Three times, that's happened to me.
My body they touched, but, my soul I'd set free.
Rape. Sadly, that too has happened to me.
Screams muffled by his hand with no way to flee.
Unwanted sex. Quite often, that's happened to me.
To keep a man I thought that's how it must be.
Mother at sixteen. That's happened to me.
I'd never known love, my son was the key.
Drinking and drugs. That's happened to me.
A lot of liquor and meth and an addiction to weed.
Drop out of school. That's happened to me.
Only 27.5 credits to go, or, quit and be free.
Fight to survive. It just so happens to be,
That's what I'll do because what happened to me...

About this poem

This poem is about things relating to the first 29 years of my life.

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Written on 2007

Submitted by malveaux2008 on January 17, 2024

1:18 min read
50

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAA
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,206
Words 247
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 26
Full analysis for That Happened To Me »

Louria (Gabbard) Malveaux

I was born into a big family with more than enough love to go around. It was a very happy home and for the most part we got along well. I kept what was happening to me a secret until I was seventeen or eighteen. Secrets like those really messed my head up. I turned to drugs at an early age to escape the reality I had to deal with. Depression sat in at a very early age though I found ways to hid it and be "normal". i had my first of five children at sixteen, so, we grew up together. For many many years I lived with a out of control drug problem. In and out of relationships some of which were abusive. I don't know exactly how long I lived this way but I thought it would never end. I married a couple of times, moved around a lot, and really never had a place to call home. Shortly after my first grandchild was born I moved back in with my parents. that's when things started looking up and I finally had a place to call home. Fast forward to now... We moved to Arkansas in December of 2023 and now I'm loving life. more…

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1 Comment
  • xero704
    xero704
    This poem is so brave and candid. It intensifies throughout, but it hits me like a punch in the gut at the intro. Such brave and candid honesty in the way this poet describes the trials in their life and the small, yet potent, blessing of becoming a parent tucked ever so neatly within the devastation surrounding this blessing. Very moving and very well articulated. 
    LikeReply2 months ago

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"That Happened To Me" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/180562/that-happened-to-me>.

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