Her hair was longer back then,
a straight spine.
One that feigned confidence- she stood up straighter when you brought up the past.
She stood taller when you talked about “back then.”
It was a time before time.
One that stood on its own.
Irrelevant
Different
Speechless
You couldn’t say where it came from.
So many people tried. They tried to ask the right questions.
Who what when where how
Those were never quite right, though.
The right question came from the pit of a stomach; the stomach of a sow.
a mother whose heart was too exhausted to love any harder.
The right question came from a tree;
a giant standing tall and strong, but silent. alone in a forest of others just like itself.
The right question came from a virus;
sick, but determined to grow and spread further.
The right question came from her mattress;
laid upon. loved upon. but never held or appreciated for its provisions.
