mordecai, i’m tired, are you safe?
and these bodies seem heavier than they always have, be strong mordecai, but they aren’t nearly as heavy as my heart, well isn’t that fucking poetic, my heart can’t be dragged by its feet or arms to a hiding place, and my god, does my heart want to hide, are you safe?
it’s been eleven months but when i think of how things used to be it seems like a dream, be strong mordecai, i can barely remember my constellations now, being weightless, or the buoyancy of your water, the feel of it on my skin, the smell of your clothes, like a nice hotel, a nice hotel, not pine sol but wood and clean, i feel like i’ll never be clean again, like you could put me in the tub for days and there are stains on me that will not come off, i want to be in the water where we saw our own scars for the first time through someone else’s eyes, are you safe?
they have code words for me now and you would laugh to hear them, the black devil, the siren, artemis, they’re not terribly clever in these dimensions, i can pin them easy, bottlenecked, trapped in an alley or a closet or a basement or an office or a kitchen or a park, they have learned that even if they are in an open field, if i am looking at them, they are trapped, they are done, are you safe?
because i could not face it, not the truth, but my truths seem so meaningless now, my individuality, who i am, who am i, who am i mordecai? i see your face at strange moments. i see you laugh. was i funny? i see you cry. was i loving? i see you nod at the things i say and do. was i smart? i see you hiding behind me. was i courageous? i see you looking at me with gratitude. was I loyal? are you safe?
i’ve seen you look at me with sadness. was i cruel? are you safe?
your water, be strong, i do not have crabs for the record, are you safe?
this bracelet, my god, sometimes my hand hovers over it, it trembles and i weep, be strong mordecai, i am afraid of what will happen if i press it, i am afraid i am so contaminated that your chamber would eat me alive, i am afraid of your eyes looking at me, but most of all i’m afraid that it is just a pretty bracelet now and nothing more, but are you safe? are you safe? are you safe?
to me safe is the most beautiful word in the world, an untouchable word, high in a cloud where i can see but never touch, right next to home, are you home? are you safe?
or the sound of you saying “rest” in a way that makes it actually seem possible for someone like me, are you safe?
and i’ll be strong for you
i have failed at everything
but god i hope i have not failed at being your sister
@tempus-fractura, art by AskRick