the effort

the argument started like the lighting of a fuse

embers of an ongoing conflict spanning years &

the fact remains, at this age, neither of these family members need see each other any more unless they choose to---

so while one begins to chew the other out &

soon the new argument just becomes an addendum to the last

time they sparred,

and as the typical apathetic conclusion begins to loom on the horizon

(since neither parties are really listening to the other),

one of the parties changes their role &

begins to plea for a different ending to this

fight---

an effort is now being made by one party to

end this ongoing fight &

to change the course of their personal history,

this effort is a greater challenge than most things in either one of their lives

because it entails immediate family,

because it means real change

which cannot be won overnight &

which means that old ghosts & horrible memories

which have held together hate for so long

must be buried underground,

deep underground,

like so many successfully smothered hatchets

which have helped keep families together

while others continue to be torn apart &

destroyed by much less.