this argument has been brewing for awhile

my mom is sobbing as

my dad threatens that he’ll kill himself

in the room over

the air sharp and cold as it flows through an open window

i think i need a shower

to scrub off all this dirt

to empty my ears and my brain

to scrub off the melanin my skin carries

to erase the history i’m

forced to live through daily

our balanced days were always fragile i guess

tonight, too

he manipulates her like

she wishes she could manipulate him

...

i just usher my siblings in and

shut the door