The Family

The air outside was tight with laughter and shouts,

But inside the house was a room coated in fear.

They huddled together,

A family – joined - only in these circumstances,

And together,

A unit,

They prayed.

Standing on dewy grass,

They thrust fire into the air

And gathered ‘round the sun-porch,

Built three generations ago

By dark men with strong hands.

Oh, if we survive, they thought,

We will watch over each other in the fields

And teach the young girls how to peel potatoes

And the young men how to clench a fist.

Still the shouts grew louder

More urgent

And the first stone was cast through

The window.

The glass hit the floor inside,

A resounding echo bouncing off the walls.

No one moved,

Not even the young ones,

All prepared, for once,

As a family.