DEIMOS
ache first, but then let the cuts close
spit out the blood
spit out the blood
The stillness was a haunting one, and he knew it well. The way death brought over a shrunken kind of veil, tucking everything inward, until one’s bones remembered the pain and the anguish. Sometimes it loomed and pressed into the marrow. Sometimes it flickered off like water. He wasn’t certain how much Kiada had interacted with her stepfather and half-sibling after all these years – but the token of responsibility seemed to remain, with all the bonds of a mother they shared. He permitted a smile and a nod, and perhaps it’d be enough of an excuse for the parting to not be so gods damned painful.
It would be, for him. It always was.
“Of course.” Words like good luck and see you on the other side and another barrage of reminders pressed behind his teeth – yearning to reach out and grasp, to offer sanctity, to be that unyielding beacon, all remained. But he didn’t persist and didn’t pursue where he wasn’t wanted, and so settled for his nod, his despondent stare, and the truth of the matter. “Love you, kid.”
And then he’d leave her to her choices.
{FIN}
It would be, for him. It always was.
“Of course.” Words like good luck and see you on the other side and another barrage of reminders pressed behind his teeth – yearning to reach out and grasp, to offer sanctity, to be that unyielding beacon, all remained. But he didn’t persist and didn’t pursue where he wasn’t wanted, and so settled for his nod, his despondent stare, and the truth of the matter. “Love you, kid.”
And then he’d leave her to her choices.
{FIN}
watch your body pull itself back together
then let your soul do the same
then let your soul do the same
