When I was 13, my father's screams radiated
through the thin walls.
I tried to tune it out and pretend like my ears
weren't bleeding
from the outrageous words that were being bounced
around the whole apartment.

The sudden silence shot me
right in the chest.
It was as if complete utter silence
made me more scared than the actual screams.
The hair on my arms rose
when my mother walked out of the room.

She had a blank expression until she caught me
looking at her, her warm smile made me
fuzzy inside.
SLAM!
We didn't even realize my father had left
until we were startled by the noise.

The moment I put my arms around her,
I felt as if I was under a rain cloud.
She was broken, her pieces were shattered
through the floor but
I was determined to put them back together
even if it took me forever.