Homemade pasta; a family effort,
and smells of baking birthday cakes
Quickly faded into pizza and chicken nuggets;
family gatherings now held by the hospital bed
The era of casseroles sprang up unannounced when
our living room became a welcoming room for strangers
but they were sorry for my loss

Grilled cheese and pizzas once again were a staple
as the strangers moved forward, expecting us to follow
A whirlwind of wedding cake and dancing
molded on three more to my family of four
Family dinners a newly sacred tradition
was the welcoming stage for the new regime
but our faces wore smiles

Meals were tension and mouthfuls of anxiety
our masks wearing thin; yet we were to be the happy family
Dining hall meals eventually replaced the tension
and a new family emerged to surround me
Except for those nights when beer was my only sustenance
being touched by darkness to the hidden monster within
but i was trained; my smile would not falter  

TV dinners stock the freezer back home
broken family biding time until the next explosion
wounds too deep to see accompanied unacknowledged pain