lies slowly dripped from his tongue
black acid staining his red lips
it bubbled up, frothing and spilling from his face

his sharp eyes stared right through me
piercing my very soul
as i struggled not to cry

"don't cry," he commanded
my chin instantly stopped its quivering
as if merely waiting to be commanded by him

he stepped closer
the sound of his footsteps resonating through the living room
the polished wood shined in the dim light

"this is who we are," he whispered into my ear
i closed my iridescent eyes
and tried to block out his vile voice

it was a lie
this relationship isn't supposed to be like that
fathers and daughters aren't supposed to be like this

"this is what we do to each other," he continued
his hand lingered on my back
fingers pressing into my spine

another lie.
only he ever does it,
leaving me with nothing but pain and a lust for revenge

he leaned in
his voice was lower than a whisper and it scraped my soul like sandpaper
"scream"

and when he raised his hand,
i did.
i always do.