It's Past Four A.M., and the Family

it's past four a.m., and the family

it’s past four a.m., and the family
of seven is out on the front
stoop, firing up
the same broken
pieces again. it’s a no-brainer –
they will end up calling
the police on each other
and the hoarse
lady of the house will be held
accountable during the final
showdown. amidst wailing
arrests, her four daughters
will not balk, and the youngest
toddler will hold tightly
to a free hand and learn –
here starts the sirens
.

* * *

as soon as you think
it’s finally
over, one of the daughters is
locked on the outside
of the complex again, yelling up
Mami and buzzing the gate,
yelling and buzzing
buzzing and yelling,
the only sane solution
is to shoot her in the lungs –
the sun is rising, you’ll
definitely get a good
shot – but in a neighborhood
where all are well-armed,
everyone is out of bullets
and just holding their breaths
.

Yi-Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits on "Healthy Doses"