There was a time, within my youth, during which
The sky fell
The Earth imploded
And darkness enveloped my world
When shadows fought each other
Upon the wall
Under cover of amber light
Hatred emanated from the foes
Dishes lay scattered, shattered upon the battlefield
Loud voices hurled injuries across
The faded tile floor
My father at the counter
Mother at the table
Red-faced, hurt, exhausted, frustrated
They dueled well into the night
And I sat at the top of the stairs
After sneaking out of my room
And listened in absolute silence
Frightened into non-action
The house, once peaceful and whole,
Has cracks in the impermanence of plaster
Fractured innocence
The cupboard door ripped right off
In a shower of paint and drywall
Slamming doors, exclaimed expletives
As tears run silently down my cheeks
And a door creaks
My brother emerges from his lair
Sits down on the steps beside
Slings an arm around my shoulders
Pulls me in to lean on him
He lets me cry into his shirt
Silent
Silence has emerged, tainting everything
It touches
Seven years of blissful happiness
Ignorance
Boils down to this nightmarish reality
The burning ashes smolder on this
God-forsaken possibility
The once molten taste of chocolate
Has turned to charcoal on my tongue