Alone as a child

In the quiet house, alone I'd stay, From school’s end till the break of day. My father gone to bars till three, The chores and meals were left to me. I’d clean the house, do laundry too, Dishes done, no task was few. I'd sneak outside to friends, to play, But trouble came if found that way. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner made, On school-free days, alone I stayed. A childhood filled with tasks and care, Yet strength and courage are always there.