Saturday, October 27, 2012

Family

(self-harm trigger warning)

Little sister, you're hurting me.
The glass twists in your hand.  It's wet, it's sharp
and he and I are blind as moths, caught in the red flare of your exit light.
My skin's intact, no ragged edges
but those of my heart.

It`s all come down to this.
Everything`s just so much faster
now.
Every instant is now, each breath a drumbeat
in our chests
and we have to get it away.

So I say,

"You're hurting me."

The light goes out.  The sound goes on.
The whole world rushes together again.
You're quiet now.
It was a lie.  It was the truth.
It brought you back.

Later on, after the clean-up
After the awful, silent stalk through the streets
After the talk, and the wait, and the settling at her place
He and I, we stagger into the street.
He hugs me.

I'm so stunned, I don't react.
He was my brother, and he deserved better.

So did she.

1 comment:

  1. Will try to come back and give a more detailed comment later, but first impression: really liked that. Reallyreally.

    Rose

    ReplyDelete