Ashlyn Loushin
Pinky Promises Grief is my oldest friend, she’s been with me since days of childhood Grief was well acquainted with my mother, who would shove her sorrys down my throat as she covered the bruises on my arms with Hello Kitty bandaids Grief learned from the letters sent by my absent father, off fighting far off wars miles away to protect people he didn’t know but leaving his own daughter defenseless Grief spent the sleepless nights waiting to hear the click of my mother’s light turning off, so finally grief could creep into my twin sized bed and hold me while I cried, pinky promised me that we would always be together as I aged, Grief aged with me she held my hand at nine years old, squeezing hard while my father sat me down to explain that his own father was dead, and I would never be able to hear his laugh again to age eleven, when Grief would cover my ears, shielding me from the screaming of the soon to be divorced parents, not knowing those were the last few nights I would ever know my family as whole Grief told me to shut my mouth and nod my head when I was thirteen, and when I didn’t listen, Grief watched silently, as my mother pushed me down the stairs and kicked me out of the house
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