My Present Absent Parents

I hear the bells announcing that school is over,
In silence, I walk home, my heart heavy with anxiety.
Imagining what I’ll find at home paralyzes my body—
I’m tired of seeing them fight—my parents.

When will they have time to help us with our homework?
When will my mother listen to what the teacher asked us to say?
When will my father hear our daily struggles?
All their time is consumed by their arguments and fights.

We’ve grown used to things flying through the air—
Words and utensils, anything within reach.
They don’t care about the damage they cause—
To the walls, or to our hearts.

My father, a drunk, with beer as his closest friend,
My mother, a fighter, defending us from his hands.
She casts her nets, hoping to find what we need—
But my father spends it all to quench his thirst.

At school, whispers follow me—
Kids mocking and laughing at me,
Stories about my father wetting his pants,
And, of course, my heart is never left unshaken.

I wish they could understand the pain they cause—
The wounds that won’t heal unless they let them.
I wish they could listen to each other,
And find solutions to their differences,
So they could create a haven for us to grow and learn.