Daycare in the Closet

I search for light in the eye
in her that put me away.
Though, I do not understand why

you lock me in the padded closet, keep me from the sky—
Heat from the static tv, a breathing bane.
I search for light in the eye.

A Blue Bear, Purple Pegasus, and Hanging Jackets I personify.
The repeating of Mickey Mouse VHS tapes is my chain,
Though, I do not understand why.

Mother, let me out— Long hours go by—
I struggle to myself, am I just a stain?
I search for light in the eye.

The door opens and I’m about to cry.
My favorite color, sky blue, but instead I find rain,
Though, I do not understand why.

I was once a Monarch Butterfly.
Mother, why end my reign?
I search for light in the eye,
Though, I do not understand why.
 

Korrine Key is a poet from Elmwood, TN and a graduate of Cumberland University. She received a Bachelor’s in creative writing with a minor in English. Her work has been published in the Novus Literary Arts Journal and the New Square Journal; she has also worked as an editor for Novus. Korrine is continuing her education at Texas Tech University, working on her MFA in Creative Writing with a focus in poetry.