What is there to say
When all you wanted was half a chance
To be a quarter as heard
And a tenth as seen

You test the bones under your waist
You ask them to lift you another day
You unfold your spine
And feel it settle
A string of pearls down your back
Swinging but steadying

What is there to do
When all you dream of is decades old
And still popcorn new
A star you see blue and bold and bright
But actually gone like your grandmother’s smile
Still giving you light

You kickstart your heart
You tell it to push minute to minute
You slide a finger across your temple
Eyes close and reopen
Another day you survived
Working and hoping

Title borrowed form the first line of “Out Here On My Own” by Lesley and Michael Gore.