Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Who's Rotten?

"What’s the matter with you? Why don’t you just stop it? Fuck! It doesn’t matter what I do; you just keep on with this bullshit. I can see now how it’s going to be. You’re nothing but trouble, rotten just like your mother, stupid whore. You have no future."

He gripped the wailing bundle of arms, legs and lolling head in his hands shaking her as he screamed, "Stop it! Stop, crying! Shut the fuck up!" He tossed the 3 week old across the room where she landed on the dingy sofa, the light gone from her baby blue eyes.

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I penned this for the 100 word challenge in answer to the prompt for the week, rotten.  Check out Velvet Verbosity to read how rotten inspired other writers.     

This is a tough, hard to read or write topic, but every year 1,200 to 1,400 cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are reported in the US.  Recently, a man was arrested in this very rural area I live in after his infant son died of massive head trauma.  It breaks my heart to hear of such unnecessary tragedy and I think...if only that angry care giver would just call someone or walk out the door for a few minutes and take a deep breath. 

18 comments:

Tara R. said...

Sadly this happens far too often. A very poignant 100 words.

Constance said...

How horrifying. And true far too often. Just one more reason people should stop to accurately assess if they are CAPABLE of being a good parent or not.
If you don't have emotional, intellectual, physical, finanbcial and spiritual stability yourself, you have no business reproducing.
People are selfish and only think of that they WANT a child. What they should be thinking of is if they will be able to successfully meet all of a child's needs - and they are constant and many for 18 years at the very least.

Ms. Maggie said...

Yes, horrifying. Good picture of what I would imagine happens in these cases.

Susan said...

Difficult to read (in a good way). Gives us a glimpse of what it might be like in the moment of snap. Well written. And horrifying.

Dr. Shawn said...

Ohh this is genuine and worded with art. Sad, but important.

AuroraLee said...

A sad but well-written piece. It seems very realistic; I can feel his frustration.

jp said...

wow. so sad :(

Teresa O said...

Tara...every time I read about one of these babies it just makes my heart break.

Annie...you bring up some interesting questions. The question of cabability is a good one, but I'm not sure how it would be measured and by whom. I also have a feeling some of the people who inflict such horror on an infant are barely more than children themselves and didn't necessarily want a baby. I hope you read the website link I offered. The statistics are revealing.

Teresa O said...

Ms. Marsha...it was hard trying to write this, yet I feel strongly that it's the frustation that causes shaken baby syndrome.

Susan...I wonder why some snap and others find the fortitude to walk away for a bit, catch a breath, call someone, or just keep on keeping on?

Dr. Shawn...thank you for reading my 100 words. I did try to create a scene filled so much frustration that as Susan in the previous comment said, he just snapped.

AurorLee...it's hard to imagine the amount of frustration and anger that it takes to hurt a child, so I just had to dig a little deeper. Thanks for stopping by.

Jen...it is sad, indeed.

Gregg said...

Ouch. I winced when I read this.
Very dark, very deep, very well-written!

Velvet Verbosity said...

Eeesh...tough topic indeed, but yes, one that deserves attention.

I remember being a young mother with a colicky baby. The late nights, the endless crying, the mounting exhaustion and frustration. I thank God that though my then husband didn't turn out to be the right match for me that he was THERE for me during those times, to relieve me, or I to relieve him. I can't imagine doing it without back-up.

L'Adelaide said...

whoa, i wasn't ready for that...

anyway, sighing deeply and trying to move from here, having been abused from the time i cannot remember, this one hit home in a very real way, not what i expected at all, and usually i "turn the page"... but somehow, perhaps as it was short, i got through and saw why you wrote it, weeping as i easily do when reading words like this...the language of anger upon the innocent is heart breaking as well as mind breaking.
xox

Caroline said...

Very powerful stuff...was it hard to write? Nonetheless, a taboo subject that too often falls below the radar.

http://then-she-wrote.blogspot.com/

Constance said...

Just checking in to see how you are - you haven't written in a long time.

I'll go check that link on shaken baby syndrome you suggested now, even if it does break my heart.

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