Young boy and grandfather walking in the street
Crowded summertime city street
Toughs walking down the street
Strutting their stuff
Tension in the street
The toughs pass, it's just another day
But the tensions is high
The invasion is here
Someone walking with us
A man I have seen before and think I know (my father?)
There is a splash and screaming metal
as his guts hit the ground
For a moment he stands with half a body
Then he falls back
and his head breaks the glass of a store window
Blood runs to the black velvet display case
and pools around his head
Staring up with lifeless eyes,
Haloed with broken glass and blood on tan tile
Things move fast and my grandfather takes me......
We are up in an apartment, hiding
Once I think there was more here
Things of comfort before the fear
Claimed lives and property gone
Don't know who will survive but the end looks near
"These are bad days" says the old man to the boy
Who rises and looks out the second story window
to suburbia below
He can remember how it used to be
Change came suddenly, inexplicably
The streets are quiet now,
with a few people moving around
Grandfather summons him to sit and starts to explain
"Just close your eyes and put your head in my lap."
Grandfather has a ceremonial knife
The boy knows what will happen now
And with his eyes closed he listens for the sound
Will it be slick like a razor
Or rough like the tearing of cloth?
The throat is cut, a soft wet ripping sound
No different than that of an animal
And the deed is done
The boy rises and looks at the old man's second mouth
The unnatural gash self inflicted
The old man's lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling.
Now he was alone.
G.S., 12/86