The Sirens that Changed Everything

Sirens.

They're everywhere.

Red and blue flashes filled the street that night.

They took my dad away and left me with nothing.

I was scared.

I knew this would happen. I knew it.

And yet, I said nothing. I told no one.

I stayed quiet.

I knew the consequences if I let anything slip.

So I remained silent.

I have learned to ignore the questioning gazes of my peers.

My teachers have stopped asking questions.

They stopped wondering.

I stopped crying.

Then again, there are sirens.

They fill the street yet again. 

This time, to take my mom away.

Again, I am left with nothing but my fear and my thoughts.

Bright lights flood the streets.

I am left alone.

I felt like a lost child.

But I have seen and felt too much to still be considered a child.

In all my 16 years of life,

I have never experienced so many emotions at once.

Fear, sadness, anger, concern, love.

I love my mom.

I love my dad.

But life doesn't love me.

Life has never been kind to me or anything I stood for.

Life made a choice.

And it chose to rip my family apart and scatter the peices across that street where the sirens and lights once were.

Where I once stood, holding the broken peices of a lost family together.

But I am just the glue that has dried up like my tears.

There is nothing left.

Those sirens.

Those lights.

The cancer.

The hospitals.

The bills.

The law.

The lies.

They have taken everything from me.

Reviews

[HadesRising]

You put so much feeling into this, so deep and very moving and emotional, I am impressed.

[Trouble]

So sad, so much emotion. Very touching, very beautiful. I loved it.

[barleygirl]

This is one of the best pieces of yours that I've read so far, describing the experience of having so much turmoil & uncertainty in your young life. This poem is understated, not filled with drama & crying out, so that this makes the narrator (you) feel strong & in control, but not in a controlling way. Just wise & strong beyond what one might expect. The way you describe tough times says a lot about YOU & how tough you are. You use a ton of great details here to show all the chaotic points stabbing into your consciousness. I'm proud of you for being a beacon of light to others who might be in a similar situation but not knowing how to express themselves about it. You make a great role model for this (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Faust]

Thank you so much :)

[Chris Shaw]

Very moving poem Emily. So hard for children when the family breaks up. So many destructive emotions. Harder still if death of parents is involved. If this is about you, I sincerely hope you have someone you can talk to. Those sirens are flashing fior me too. Talking helps. So does writing.

Chris