A Fractured Childhood (& Gender Dysphoria.)

‘A fractured childhood’ is an account of my turbulent and abusive upbringing during the 1950’s and 60’s. I recount how I had to live with both a violent father and gender dysphoria at a time when the psychological condition was hardly recognised. The story is sprinkled with a collection of 16 poems, most of which are woven into this fascinating biographical account. I’ve tried to give an honest and frank account of that period of my life, which I hope will help some readers to appreciate what it is like for a boy to feel as though he is ‘trapped’ in the wrong body.
Most stories out there, chronicle the subject’s switch from one gender to another. This story is different, in that my life followed a different course. A course that led me to father 6 children and have two happy marriages. Here is one verse from my poem ‘Fractured Childhood’.
Was a childhood of happiness drowned out by pain?
I’ll always wonder what my father had to gain.
Was he angry with his son, who’d somehow transgressed?
Or was it a deeper malaise within his own breast?