# data[].attributes.body
3 days, 72 hours
Video games, junk food, best friend
Nothing can ruin this moment, except
Ring goes your phone, a blaring sound
Game paused, phone answered, nervous sigh
What could it be?
Being 8, I think it’s just mommy calling to say she’s coming home
Phone thrown, loud yells, fists connecting with walls
Slow tears, a new fear
What is going on?

2 days, 48 hours
Bags packing, mommy yelling, chaos and hell
I cover my ears, as long as I can’t hear it
It’s not real, it can’t be real, it can’t be real
Fighting and shouting, screaming and crying
Mommy isn’t happy, she can do nothing but yell
Please someone come stop this
I just want to go back to playing games
What is going on?

1 day, 24 hours
Long hugs, silent house, no more games
The yelling stopped
But I think the noise was better than this deafening silence
Nobody speaks, please don’t break the silence
One last meal and then you’ll be gone
I don’t know where you’re going
But I know I’ll miss you more than the world
What is going on?

5 minutes
Airport smell, rolling bags, mommy crying a river
Her sobs sound like the earth cracking apart, all the way down to its core
Mommy told me you’re leaving to protect us
She said you’ll come back, but she didn’t sound so sure
Big brother I love you more than air
You’re all I have, please don’t go
Bent knee, long hug, I shed a tear
He says, “keep your head up dork, I’ll be back soon”
Spinning hug that’s filled with laughter
I can’t wait until you come home, our family’s happily ever after
What is going on?

1 minute
Slow walking, no talking, your plane is about to leave
You wave goodbye and I don’t know why
But all I can do is cry and cry and cry
What is going on?

4 months later
Knock... knock... knock... door slowly opened
I stand behind mommy and peak my head out at them
The men all wear the same clothes, no words spoken
They take off their hats and put them over their hearts
Suddenly mommy is collapsing and crying on the floor
Mommy get up, what’s wrong
What is going on?

# data[].attributes.body
Yellow - repetition
Green - oxymoron
Pink - simile
Red - hyperbole
Blue - imagery

# data[].attributes.body
Yellow - repetition
Green - oxymoron
Pink - simile
Red - hyperbole
Blue - imagery

# data[].attributes.body
In the narrative / lyric poem, I use repetition to pull at the heart strings - and give the mood of how confused I was when everything was happening. I also use an oxymoron “deafening silence” to show how silent the house really got after everything happened. But the overall tone is quite somber considering he is leaving for the military, and doesn’t come home. It’s not a happy story, and it’s a hard one to read through when you understand the pain of losing someone you love.