For Hours

In a dark house
In a dark room, with arches for doorways
On a scratchy, dirty couch
With the TV shouting fuzzed out images
Two little girls sit huddled together
While the poodle snips
Each time a foot ventures out of place

For hours they sat
Wanting to sleep in their own beds
Wanting their father to come
In from the garage
To take them home
Missing their mother
Waiting in the dark
For hours

His friend would visit
Bringing candy, soda, and chips
Treats they didn't have at home
They liked the attention
He said they were beautiful
That they could be his girlfriends
If he wasn't married
They missed their mother

Cold, yellow tile
His face
Darkness
His face again, smiling
Darkness
Good little girls are quiet
In a dark house
In a dark room, with arches for doorways
On a scratchy, dirty couch
Two little girls sit huddled together
Missing their mother
For hours

--Sandra Boehm