For the sake of my kids

Some of us said,
We’re staying for the sake of my kids
Kids who have never heard the words,
I love you
from their so-called father
Kids who don’t know how it feels
To be hugged and kissed ‘good night’ by dad
Kids who have never played catch
or go fishing with their father
Kids who did not know the sound of laughter in the home
Kids who constantly requested for sleep overs at friends’ houses
Kids who did not know how to love
Because all they see is hate and pain
And this is all they knew how to give at school
Troubled they were,
With no sense of belonging
Still, we claimed:
we’re staying for the sake of my kids.

Constance van Niekerk ©2021