Pantheon

A family lost on either side
sits apart and looks away
at whatever they use to distract
themselves on a boring day.
The mother stares at color samples
and holds them up against the wall.
She wants the feel of something
new spread out around her.
The father reads a book on war
the cover black and slightly torn,
and he scowls at every
sound that isn’t breathing.
The children have their corners claimed
a boy and girl with all the blame
after the youngest got lost
in a crowd at an airport in Asia.
Still, they draw with colored pencils
ideas that never fully form
as if to warn of all the fading inspiration.