Today, for the Down’s boy.

knowing that, sometime soon, you’ll both need to exit a closed door

and, outside, are hoodlums, thugs, dogs and loud bangs;

the best idea is to sit still (mum) and hope.

Andrew is humming a song from ‘Joseph’, looking around

at the TV unplugged and the Macbook (out of battery by now).

After a while, the crashes return and men bark even louder.

Andrew jumps - and shouts – you quieten him,

rising your terror from belly to throat, quivering fingers;

but he keeps rocking and singing, looking around, crooning gently

‘I closed my eyes – drew back the curtain.’ Melodic, softly,

until one big crash on the door becomes immediate ‘I closed my eyes…’

Andrew smiles, goes to the door-handle, turns it slowly.