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​FAIRY TALE



​"We don’t go down there.
Not ever," she says.
She’s older than I am
and thinks she knows best.
But after my sister has fallen asleep,
I climb out of bed,
step into the hall,
and
     creep

            down
           the staircase.
​           
The cellar is cold.
​

I stand in the shadows
and listen, breath held.
Mice in the floorboards.
The clock striking twelve.
Whispers in voices I know very well.
Her sobs and soft pleading.
Each kick, every slap.
Then she gets the slipper.
The belt, blue and black.
Hands on her gown...
I step back
and I scurry upstairs and crawl into bed.
​

My sister sits up. "Where have you been?"
"Cinderella. She was...
"
I want to tell
what I saw,
what I heard.
"Go to sleep," says my sister.
"And don’t say a word."


​

​by ​Danny M. Cohen



Copyright 2017. Danny M. Cohen. All Rights Reserved.


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​
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT UNSILENCE
    • FRAMEWORK
    • DEFINITIONS
    • PEOPLE
    • 10 YEAR REPORT
    • HELP & SUPPORT
    • CONTACT
  • EXPERIENCE
    • INTERACTIVE FEATURES >
      • THE SISTERHOOD
      • OXYGEN
      • TOMORROW
      • THE 19TH WINDOW
      • HIDDEN PAGES
      • I SAW EVERYTHING
      • THE SON
      • IN OTHER PEOPLE'S HANDS
      • SECRETS
    • POETRY & STORIES >
      • I BELIEVE YOU
      • FAIRY TALE
      • BEDTIME STORIES
      • THE 'S' WORD
      • BRIAN
      • INTO MY ARMS
      • HAND HOLDING
      • SOUNDLESS ROAR
      • GHOSTS OF AUSCHWITZ
      • SOMETHING MISSING AT TREBLINKA
      • NEVER HEARD
      • TRAIN
  • PROGRAMS
    • AVAILABLE PROGRAMS
    • PAST PROGRAMS & PARTNERS
    • PROGRAM INQUIRIES
  • FOR EDUCATORS
    • OVERLAPPING TRIANGLES
    • THE 19TH WINDOW GUIDE
    • HIDDEN PAGES GUIDE
    • I SAW EVERYTHING GUIDE
    • THE SON GUIDE
    • TRAIN READERS GUIDE
    • TOMORROW GUIDE
    • HAND HOLDING GUIDE