Macaroni Salad

The water came to a rolling boil
while a 12 year old girl lie dying from a stray drive-by shooting
and our teen-aged son begged to go practice driving.

The elbow noodles cooked
while an illegal immigrant faced deportation
and the family voted on where to vacation.

The celery, onions, eggs, and peppers were diced together
while the children three doors down hid from their drunken father
and our younger ones quarrelled over which games they preferred.

The mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper were blended
while a young woman walking alone was raped and left for dead
and we debated subscribing to cable, or satellite instead.

The ingredients were all brought together
while an uncertain unwed mother agonized over her choices
and we backed the car out of the garage
suddenly stopped
and shared a laugh
over the potential embarrassment
of arriving at the fellowship meeting
without the macaroni salad.