Life in Technicolor – Part II
By Brandon Palzkill
Clanging, breaking, clamorous bellowing;
the still night silence is shattered,
ripping a girl from her uncertain dreams.
An all too familiar disturbance
echoes down the shadowy hallway…
he’s come back, again.
Night after night, he returns,
after hiding away in a darkened tavern,
in the raucous companionship
of his buddies, Jack, Jose, and Jim.
Full of wild turkey and fiery blood,
he storms through the front door,
eager to blame someone
for all his failings and shortcomings.
Roaring torrents of shouts
ripple through the shivering walls,
the little girl quakes with fear beneath
their savagery.
She peers intently down the hall;
silhouettes flicker
against the yellow aura
radiating from the kitchen.
They dance the terrorizing tango
of the drunken husband
and the defeated wife,
to a symphony of broken glass
and crashing pans.
Heavy footsteps draw nearer,
compelling the girl to cower
beneath her beaten pillows,
pretending to be invisible.
“Please no, please no,” she prays, horrified,
“not tonight… go away,”
and she buries her face
in her mattress;
if she doesn’t see him, he’s not there.
She waits with eyes clenched tightly shut;
seconds pass… minutes;
the anticipation
brings frantic tears streaming down…
nothing;
the stumbling footsteps have
retreated beyond the darkened veil
and unsteady security is restored.
The little girl closes her eyes
and takes a breath,
her wary ears diligently
listening for his return.
She can’t resume her troubled slumber,
but lies there, waiting…
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