Page 19 of Us Defiant Few

I gave the pieces to you

Let you play with my lines

Trace over the scars

You didn’t change the flaws

But the weight of me

Somehow

Felt better in your hands

I’ve forgotten what it was like

To taste the same air as you

Hold myself just as good

Face the world standing tall

But I watched as you left

Laid our memories to rest

While no one else knows

That I would rather wail

Sink to my knees

Throw away every pen

Because what good are words

When you will never read them?

Tell me.

Just tell me.

Please God…tell me.

Khalani sat in the church pew, her gaze blank as she stared ahead, letting the poetry rest on the edge of her knees.

Every other pew was empty, same as every other day he’d been gone.

It was quite clever, really. Using a church as a safe house.

For all the debauchery and violence that occurred in Hermes, she doubted anyone would enter the sanctuary, seeking repentance.

So, she sat alone, with only a wooden cross to judge her guilt.

Khalani nearly jumped out of her seat when a small figure in an oversized dark blue shirt and black pants appeared at her right.

“Hey,” Elise whispered. Her blond hair was knotted in a messy bun. Flyaway hairs framed her face, and deep stress lines etched into her forehead that made her look years older.

“Hey,” Khalani said, her voice low.