"Shattered 12. 25th"

December twenty-fifth wake up in the bed alone
Walk around, occupying the house on my own
Ride in the driveway, no sign of her she’s left her phone.

Find a letter on the fridge that says ‘I’ll explain everything later’
Take a seat on the couch in a daze wishing for a translator
From the chill emerges my gladiator.

The front door creeks
Her eyes match her rosy cheeks
Her expression shatters Christmas, for her it’s painfully unique.

As she did a decade ago, on the street she slept
The memory of thirteen I could not intercept
Heavy hearted, saddened…in stereo we wept.

Daughter of two addicts, tossed and evicted from her parent’s home
Desolate streets were hers to survive and roam
The clothes on her back the only protection against a city’s catacombs.

I can see the torture screaming in her eyes
The beginning flicker of a spark makes me realize
This is where her unimaginable strength hangs its disguise.

Though to her every year is a shattered twelve twenty-fifth
Every ounce of weakness becomes a shattered myth
As each tear fades like a faulty monolith.