- Flux Magazine
"One Two Three Four" by Audrey Cadena
One child runs to the only person who knows their pain
Two siblings sit, shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the door, listening
to the screaming match between their parents on the other side
Three members, the solid unit of the family, sit and talk
They’re the ones who stick together
They rant, they cry, they want it all to be over soon
A family of four is seated at the dinner table
No food is being eaten, no lively conversation being made
That is, unless, you count the repeated circles of blame
He did this, she did that, over and over again
Four won’t last for very long together
That’s what this has all been about
They will break off into two, a group of three and of one
The split is for the best, for all four
Three finally are free of one
Consisting of one parent, two children
They struggle but they manage, as it is now over
Two siblings sit on the carpet in a new house, listening only to each other
for the screaming has stopped and the blame circles are no more
One child sleeps soundly for the first time, the pain has subsided