I can hear,
But the don't think
I can. The shouts are
Loud, booming cries,
down the steps,
my parents shout.
I can hear,
the angry voice
saying words; that I wish
I couldn't hear.
The slam of the door,
the starting of a car,
it seems so unreal.
I can hear
The tears fall,
but I am too scared to see
who the rivers flow from;
Too scared to move,
Too scared to sleep.
I can hear,
the cars drive past
and I wonder if
my dad has come home;
or will he come back
this time.
I can hear,
the steady breath
of my sister,
sleeping next to me;
The sound of the garage door,
A creak, and then
another
As the front door opens and closes.
I can hear
an "I'm sorry"
whispered softly
in my mother's ear;
Relief like a flood,
flows over my body,
because my father,
has returned home