Joan Mazza
Missionary Kid
Retired now, he types his mother's letters
for a family book. Together we scan
black and white photos of young parents, siblings,
the African children they brought to Christ
in Senegal, his mid-west American
parents on a mission to sacrifice
all comforts for the Lord. Devout, reciting
from Bibles, their five children invited
to boarding schools provided by the church.
Kids' letters censored. First lesson silence.
Parents ignorant of bullies hired to teach,
not taunt and scar. Older boys discovered sex
with younger children they vowed to protect.
School was our view of hell, adult children say.
They molested us, then taught us how to pray.
Beyond censure now, they tell their stories—
how they lost their faith in all God's glories.
Bio
Joan Mazza worked as a microbiologist and psychotherapist, and taught workshops on understanding dreams and nightmares. She is the author of six self-help psychology books, including Dreaming Your Real Self (Penguin/Putnam). Her poetry has appeared in The Comstock Review, Potomac Review, Prairie Schooner, Slant, Poet Lore, and The Nation. She lives in rural central Virginia.