When You Come Home

When you come home you’ll see the damage is still here

The knee-deep puddles of tears have seeped through the walls, stained the floors, and ruined all your shoes

You will hear the echoes of all the screams

Isn’t the bathroom great for acoustics?

You see, the echoes can get loud sometimes

And the water a bit too high

That’s why we leave the lights on at night

And we lock our doors air tight

We lock them so tight that not even the smallest of whimpers could get through

Because on the other side they are watching you

They are watching your breath, your steps, even the way you move

They are waiting on you

Every day she hates going outside just a bit more

So she resides and hides inside

When you come home you will understand memories don’t just disappear

Kind of like the shadows on the walls

They watch you like ghosts on Halloween night in a graveyard

They follow you like a dog tryna catch a bone

Like a mom tryna catch a break

So when you come home you need to listen

Because I am tired of doing dirty dishes

I am tired of trying to scrub the words that got stuck in my mind

On my heart

And in my soul

When you come home open the doors slowly, because I cannot promise you that these tear floods will not knock you down

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