A Story

I heard a story today
a little boy
about 3 or 4
his mother wasn't very nice to him
gave him no love or affection
berated his every idea
broke all his child's dreams and the little boy
who was a long way short of dim
learnt to survive
he loved his mother
but she didn't love him
so he learnt to close off
he learnt to read adult books at the age of 7
and devoured books on a twice daily basis
and then, at 9, he found that he must have been really bad
for he was sent away to school and left there
so he learnt
he grew apart from his sister
whenever she hurt him in play.
So he had the lesson repeated many times
when you love anyone, especially a woman
they are going to hurt you
the little boy felt angry but powerless
the boy grew up
he coped
he tried
but the man he had become had forgotten about the little boy
and the little boy now held power in the man's thoughts
a nudge here
a tweak there
and the little boy brought the man much pain
and then
one day
when the man's life was mostly run
he heard the voice of the little boy
and realised
what had been happening
the man sought help
in turn it brought him to a counsellor
very highly recommended by a very good friend
who made the little boy tell the story
as the man listened
and thats when I heard the story
of the little boy

I was the little boy
and I was then the man
and now I am me
who has both of them in him
and knows it

I missed a bit
the little boy
when he read his books
and didn't approach his mother
was praised by his father for his behaviour
"Your mother is a little excitable, son."
middle class euphemism
for mad as a spoon

A Funny Old Life