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The Story of My Life

First thing is the belt
worn soft from my father's pant loops
curling like a black eternity glyph
across my legs,
pliant back of my thighs,
hard shin of my calves

in bed, almost always in bed
almost always in the dark
the strap in his fist

or standing in the middle of my bedroom
drawing leather in a whisper
from the waist of his pants

at least three times a week
for five years or more
that's seven hundred times --
I know, he taught me math
the same way

because I was stubborn
he says, the belt was a mercy,
if I'd used my hands
I would have broken
your bones.

I love my father.

How can I tell the story of my life
without starting here?

---

Excerpted from Blue Suburbia: Almost a Memoir by Laurie Lico Albanese
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.