you never thought
you�d learn, a sound
your mother did not
anticipate. She watched
your infant head lift
to follow the chirp
of birds, the sudden voices
on tv, the heavy steps
of your father�s glossy
shoes, on his way
to work. She never thought
you would learn the sound
of a skull encased
in fragile flesh, slamming
into concrete. Never
thought you�d hear it
from the inside.
*****
(For those fretting, this is not me. I'm thinking about news reports I read this morning, and about a fictional character I'm creating.)
Beautiful. And horrific.