Tag: children

Kite

We had so little
one set of uniform
and a pair of sandals
pencils short like cigarette butts
canvas shoulder bag full of patches

But we had colorful candy wrappers
bamboo sticks and string
to make kites
into a hope filled summer

I still remember him
stick skinny
swimming in this hand-me-down shorts
bare foot skipping on the hot tart road
launched his rainbow kite
into the tangerine sky

We cheered so loud
drown out the sound
of the foraging birds
We had very little
and we had it all

Family apart

The air becomes depressing
at the last twenty minutes
the kids packing their bags
putting their shoes on reluctantly
then the breaking point comes
when they whisper
‘Can’t we stay for another day?’
knowing another day is
in two weeks time

There is no word to do justice
to the thick sadness
and beat-up helplessness
when doing the family embrace
the circle of love with
uniting hope for
this weekend will be
the everyday norm
when we all dash to
the finishing line
of an eight year
marathon

The Crime Hierarchy

the rambunctious head of the household
submissive yet overbearing advocate
dependents running wild
in the confine of farming life

leather face old man that hunts with a rifle
she runs over little lambs for feast
children grew up witnessing these normalities

one of the children
was convicted of second degree murder
the noise of the struggle
screaming, screeching, pleading
he had to bring them to silence

when you apply the transitive logic
it all makes sense