not true

my mother would
beat me as I sat at the piano,
trying to learn
the scales.
slapping me with a ruler
against my
knuckles.
okay.
that's not true. we didn't
have a piano
and my mother was
very kind
and compassionate.
but if you create enough
drama in your life
and tell others
continually
how much of an innocent
victim you are in
the world,
they respond
in a gentle way.
there was this one time
though, when my
father
tied me up with kite
string
until I ate my peas.
okay,
also, not true.