Quiet

his gun was nestled in
an unlocked drawer
his uniform was resting on
a hanger
his club suspended from
a leather strap
lay still inside the closet
and all was
quiet quiet quiet
like every other morning
when he returned
nighttime patrolling over
that was the rule
taught in my childhood
to make no noise
my father needed sleep
to be alert again at
midnight
I played in silence
whispered to my dolls
and told the dog
no barking was allowed just
quiet quiet quiet
but on this afternoon the silence
broke in two
my father’s door crashed open
he staggered from his bed
we both rushed to
the kitchen
our neighbor’s son
was running round and round
their house
after his girlfriend
as he shouted she
was screaming
he caught her just outside
our window
grabbed her
throat and
punched her in the face
my father stood and watched
said nothing
then walked back to
bed to
quiet quiet quiet
and on this day
I learned that
men were keepers of
the peace
but that the peace they kept
was theirs