Broken Boulder these frozen bones

for a little while, brilliance has her mother back. for a little while, she takes up the embrace. she forgets about mali and solomon and even delight, burying herself into her chest with a series of mumbled sorries. 

sorry for getting sick. for being needy. for being whatever it was that made her leave. 

please don’t leave again. 

she won’t, she tells herself, and presses harder despite the words going on above her. she doesn’t listen. she doesn’t want any part of the anger and goes about her business to ignore it because nothing else matters.

it isn’t until matters need to be tend to, or someone forces her off queenie, that she finally lets go.