A storm crashes through the kitchen

Rectangle eyes and serious hair

Slams a note down

Swirls back to her room

‘Dad’ – smiley face

He reads it

Goes ‘Right then.’

And passes it to me

‘I can’t draw anything interesting without the lap top so I drew this.’

I fill up with the tears she has waiting

 

Not because of the knives

In her Dad’s chest

Not because of the deep scribbling

Of blood

Or the crosses for eyes

But for the privilege

Of witnessing

The full force of nature

 

Now comes the fury

The almost unbearable empathy

And anger

Now- comes the ache of life itself

The unexpected joy

In tiny moments

All the quick decisions

And the chewing over

Of mighty mini hurts

For hours

Now music means more

Humans exasperate

And the world is unjust

Colourful

Meaningful

Vivid

Stupid

And seemingly, fleetingly very, very unfair

 

Now my girl

We are really getting somewhere