Hell

Front door bang, vibrations through the house, they find me in bed, the nightmare begins
Awake now from peace and calm
Voices start, one angry, viscous, violent and sure
The other quite, sad, resigned and demur
The result of these interactions I know only too well
Different but the same
Fearful now, as they escalate
Don't answer back, don't speak up, it'll be worse
Too late
Violence now, screaming from the quiet one
The sound like a knife piercing my heart
I pray the three souls in the next room are still in blissful sleep
Unaware of this pair
One bad, one good, my child brain decides
Foul words stream up the stairs following the quieter one
Engulfing the house
Vibrations from those words sink in
I feel they will rip in to the foundations tearing the house apart
They rip through my being and into my heart

By
Gráinne Mc Cann
15/10/2018