Can you

Keep a secret?

The bruises told

Me I could not

Words spoken but

Not spoken.

Hand shaped bruises

That spoke of pain.

Cowering in our

Garage

Hiding from the pain

The hands that hurt her.

Her story is not

Mine

Thank God

But I knew

Even as a girl

When she asked

“Can you keep

A secret?”

I had to say

“Not this one.”

The pain in her

Eyes, the stories

Told but not told

A reminder that

There are times

When you are asked

“Can you keep a secret?”

The answer has to be

“No.”

© Michelle R Kidwell

August.29.2022