Icarus

This is my last flare
It lights up a narrow empty space
Where all I can see is your scarred hand extending
As you grab my numb and broken body
I surrender

Your embrace is surprisingly warm and gentle
I know what the question is

The memories are vague but as the cracks open my body unfolds
Protected by yours
Drawings
A corridor
A small window near the edge of a table
Round glasses
Curly hair
A door
A hand

My neck held down
An unbearable pressure in my head
I felt it again and again
Across my skin
Pressing my wrists tight until my knuckles turned white
The pulse
The blood in my veins
It felt cold
It felt still

I remember
I remember

My vision clears as my hands seem to grow in slow motion
How come those bruises only appear now
You were there too
I could see myself but it was you
Born into violence and stigma
How I felt your might
The wreckage and your shape

Hunter you were fierce
The one of us that would not forget