melissa

Memory written Fall 1990? A knock on the door. then… Bare feet on gravel. tears… Popping flames reaching for sky. sirens… Mother running with water-filled wastebaskets. smoke… Choking black billows. heat… Men running in and out. explosions… Nails biting deep into trees. burning… Still heart and mind. falling… Father running down the drive. crashing… Frightened, … Read more

Find clarity in my coffee cup. Morning after misery. Tell myself it’s just some fun, bury loneliness in a stranger’s arms. Our bodies tell us lies, but we hear what we want to hear. It could be different this time. It could be a beginning. Midnight promise is empty in the morning. We are still … Read more

Illness became the sum of self. Slow, careful movements trying to keep pain quiet. Sudden change, too much strength, passion, became terrifying. Wild girl made calm and corralled. No fear, flying headlong, became torturous stillness for far too long. Fear becomes a habit. All days should be as a lion.