247. She Knits

Knitting away she rocks in
her rocking chair -
Unconscious of the time,
Unaware of the day.
Since that time so long ago,
that dreadful, atrocious day,
She stopped keeping track.
Everything just didn't seem
worth it anymore,
Every action of hers was mechanical,
like a robot that needed oiling.
Left all alone, with everything taken
away from her -
Every motion or thought seemed lifeless,
even life itself.
She never talked about, nor did anyone
dare to ask -
they just wondered.
Did her husband leave her? Die in a war?
Was a young child victim to some disease?
Did she abandon her family?
Grow up all alone?
Only she knew the answer to a secret
so well kept:
A long time ago, it seems in a
distant far-off place
Three men knocked on the door
looking for a place to spend
the night.
Her husband let them stay
in the barn.
Early in the morning, while
she was getting some eggs
She heard screams and smelled fire
She ran back to the house as fast as
she could, but still, she was too late
The men had run off - plundering her
house, raping her three daughters,
slitting the throats of her son and
husband, burning her house to the
ground
Leaving her all alone, intact, but with
more hurt than anyone else.

Her face turns into one of
pain and anguish,
hurt and sorrow -
That is when they know she's
remembering the terrible
thing that left her like this
But at times, a slight smile spreads
across her face, her eyes get a
dreamy look, she slowly stops
knitting.
These are teh times when she thinks
of the day when she'll be
reunited with he family.
But until then, her secret will be
kept between her and her
knitting.