Take

Noise.

Screams.  Shattering glass.  A fist being thrown into a wall.

Two opposing parents.  

A child sitting silently in their room, trying to drown out the sound of the battle raging on in the kitchen.

A standstill--both sides quiet as they stare one another down, planning their next move.

Both want to triumph, but neither willing to release the kill-shot.

They both know there is no real victory. . .

Another trivial bullet will start the fire-storm tomorrow.

They just watch for a moment, assessing one another, neither fully aware of the third party.

The father wondering why it is so important to be right.

The mother wondering how long it has been since she felt something.

The child wondering when it became so inessential to love.

All three despise the situation, but none are willing to give ground.

Knowing there is not enough happiness in the broken house for all of them, they resolve to steal one another's.

And all they can do is take, and take, and take. . .