the quiet meal

you smell
something
wonderful cooking
down the hall.
a roast perhaps,
potatoes,
carrots and onions.
there is garlic
in the air,
and yet still you
hear the argument
go on. things
break, doors
slam. curses
are made. it goes
on and on. night
and day. and only
when they sit
down to eat
their meal is
there silence.