Pink Bonnet

My earliest recollections are of my face

swollen and red from hours of crying

body tense and angry, throat sore 

dressed in a pink nightgown with a ruffled bonnet 

that tied under my chin,

Standing in a borrowed crib, every move

making the rusty springs squeak,

feet tangled in sheets, surrounded by darkness

and the male silhouette in the doorway

watching me cry and cry.

Aunt Josie finally pushed him aside

came into the room to lift me up

 “My goodness. Why are you making such a fuss.

 Do you need dry clothes or something to eat?

Let’s take this bonnet off, it’s too tight around your neck.

Shhhh, Mommy and Daddy will be home soon.”

I don’t know exactly what happened that night

but I never trusted my Uncle Leo after that

and my Aunt Josie became a safe haven.

I was especially glad when she divorced

him. I never had to see him again

even when he died, I didn’t go to his funeral

and have never been partial to wearing hats,

especially ruffled bonnets that tied under my chin.