My mother is screaming
her head off, it rolls upstairs into my room
filled with hostility and pain
I try my worst to ignore it.

My little sister (here more a neighbor)
Stomps hard on the floor
to pull her out of her rage and let her see
the resentment that has crept up the walls of this house.

My neighbor joins me in my sadness
and shows me a picture she drew for me
“What colors did you use? Go wash your hands! Did you clean the table?”
it sounds like its coming from that head still lying in front of me…but my sister looks at me.

She goes downstairs to grab a cloth
as she opens the doors,
the words become clearer
the screams louder.

“mama. Mama? MAMA!”
I don’t need to be there to see how she doesn’t hear…doesn’t turn
As I know how she is more than blind
senseless in her rage