The howling wind,
The creaking of the swing.
The low thud of the basketball.
The faint sound of children laughing.
       Is all that could be heard by others.

The rough conversation.
The ringing in the ears.
The low muttering in the background.
The small whisper of an innocent child.
       Is all that she could hear.

Silently, she watches the children.
       They play, they laugh,
       Ever so innocently.  Their lives
       Filled with such wonderful joy.

Her hair blows in the wind.
Ever so lightly, tickling her nose.
       She hastily walks over to the swings,
       Sits down, and roughly ties her hair back.

       Slowly, she starts to swing.
       The rocking motion has calmed her nerves.
But, alas, her mind is still working.
She tells herself to shut up.
She is furious, confused, and alone.

The beautiful, velvety blue dress,
Blows in the ever so fierce wind.
Her mother gave her the dress.
       When everything was okay.  When her
       World was not in pieces.

In a matter of minutes,
In a matter of a couple words,
Her world was turned upside down,
Inside out, and shattered.

       Her thoughts are interrupted.
Quickly she whips around.
Her eyes dart, and then she
Finds the source of the noise.

Her breathing finally begins to slow.
She relaxes once again.
       Reassuring herself,
       "It was only a truck."

Calmly, she trudges towards home.
She mutters aloud,
       "I might as well go.
       Back to the house I can not call home.
       Back to the shattered family.
       Back to the life I do not want."