Daddy came home
In his faded-blue overalls
And dropped the keys on the counter.
He massaged his temples
And slumped off his muddy boots
As I sat on the couch,
Criss-cross applesauce,
And watched him brew his cup of coffee.

Once the machine beeped
And his cup was filled,
He turned my way.
"I finished my homework."
He nodded
And sipped the scorching beverage.
"But the place is still a mess, isn't it?"

I clenched my toes inside my shoes.
Chipped wine glasses clinked
And cracked blinds spewed dust.
Hot lava scorched my skin
But I sat still,
Because I deserved to feel pain.

The crows in the field screeched,
Anxiously picked at their feathers.
They are sinister,
They sing in shrills,
But if they had knocked
I would have let them in.

Daddy put the empty cup in the sink
And turned on the faucet
Before slugging off to the bathroom.
I scrubbed the counters
With a t-shirt rag
And watched his cup overflow.