Demolition Before the Bloom

in the sterile air.

It wasn’t a child asking about monsters under the bed.

It was a boy realizing the monster was waiting outside on the lawn.

That question broke the final lock inside me.

The last thread of my tolerance snapped.

My husband didn’t just hurt me.

He broke my son’s sense of safety.

He terrified my daughter.

And he did it because he knew he could continue reading …