Theea
you lose yourself when the wind flows through your hair
you taste freedom as you fill your lungs with air
you taste freedom as you fill your lungs with air
I laugh a little nervously and shake my head. “You’re awfully forgiving. I’ve had to duck out of a few interactions before, just because I never know when to shut my mouth. Even got in a scuffle with a couple kids once over it.” My grin is crooked, but I mean it—most people don’t have the patience to let me blunder through without looking at me like I’ve got three heads.
But her question halts me. Usually people change the subject when I start spilling too much, when I ramble myself into knots of half-trauma, half-nonsense. Maea doesn’t—she looks at me like I should already know the answer. Gently, like I’m supposed to be figuring it out.
I glance down at my hands, plucking a brown leaf between my fingers. “I guess I’m… out of touch,” I admit. “I’m not very strong. Or tactful. Most of the time I just get in the way. And everyone else is so brave and powerful, and they’ve survived everything when so many others didn’t.”
I swallow, hearing my Nonna’s voice in the back of my head, smooth and insistent. “Vai told me to fuck everyone’s legacy. To make my own.” My throat tightens, but I push the words out anyway, softer this time. “But what does that even look like, when all I’ve got to offer anyone is a smile?”
My brow furrows for a moment, staring at the leaf, but I look up with a soft shrug, and one of those smiles. "They've all got everything to give to the world."
But her question halts me. Usually people change the subject when I start spilling too much, when I ramble myself into knots of half-trauma, half-nonsense. Maea doesn’t—she looks at me like I should already know the answer. Gently, like I’m supposed to be figuring it out.
I glance down at my hands, plucking a brown leaf between my fingers. “I guess I’m… out of touch,” I admit. “I’m not very strong. Or tactful. Most of the time I just get in the way. And everyone else is so brave and powerful, and they’ve survived everything when so many others didn’t.”
I swallow, hearing my Nonna’s voice in the back of my head, smooth and insistent. “Vai told me to fuck everyone’s legacy. To make my own.” My throat tightens, but I push the words out anyway, softer this time. “But what does that even look like, when all I’ve got to offer anyone is a smile?”
My brow furrows for a moment, staring at the leaf, but I look up with a soft shrug, and one of those smiles. "They've all got everything to give to the world."
the time has stopped, your mind has set sail
the road is home, the stars will light the trail
the road is home, the stars will light the trail
