Raven Alexis writes about a stepfather who has hurt the speaker, and about the decision to stop giving him any power. The opening note sets the tone: the poem won't rhyme because something this ugly shouldn't sound musical. From there the speaker recalls running down the street with freezing bare feet, and bruises, some that heal and some that don't. The poem suggests the harm went beyond the physical.
The feeling shifts as it goes. Early on there is fear and hurt, and a flicker of longing for a real father figure. By the middle, the speaker claims indifference. Memories of tying shoes or riding a bike are cherished, but when he appears in their mind, they feel nothing. He becomes "a spec of sand in my hair," and then just an "oxygen tank." The mood is cold and bitter, though the insistence that he means nothing may hide how much it still hurts. The last lines are blunt: he's a monster "who can hit very hard."