"When Hunger Falls Silent"

Life moved along quietly without luxury, but with enough
Father was a simple worker in a state owned cement factory
He would leave in the morning, return in the evening,
place his wage in my mother's hand, and she would run a small home
where we were three children and laughter filled the corners
There was no reason to complain
bread was on the table, clothes covered our backs,
and life, despite its simplicity, was warm.
Then came the blow
soft at first,
but loud in its consequences
The factory announced to the workers
"From now on, you'll work for six months without pay.
The state is in crisis. Wages will come later."
Days passed. Then weeks
The fridge held nothing but water
The vegetable crate was empty
Hunger was present
We, the children, cried
Mother collapsed
Father was silent
In his chest, a fire burned
He refused to steal like some of his coworkers,
refused to feed us from anything unlawful
One day, he looked up to the factory roof
where pigeons' nests filled the corners
And there, his new journey began
He started hunting pigeons, cooking them,
dividing them among us as if they were a feast.
Days passed, until pigeon meat became unwelcome
we had eaten it too often
Mother silently sold her gold
We lived off that gold,
once father's wages had vanished
Then Father resigned
And that was the unofficial announcement
that the last wall of security had collapsed

"And if you truly wish to know how the real story unfolds... just say it-
Continue."