What the Fireflies Knew

by Kai Harris

I get that Momma is sad, but her sad is so big that it takes away from other people. Sometimes it feels like Momma’s grief for Daddy keeps me from having my own grief for Daddy. I bet it’s hard to lose a husband, but it’s hard to lose a daddy, too. I guess she don’t get that, though, cause her daddy been right here this whole time, and she barely even sees him.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my family, it’s that when you hurt, you gotta ignore it and pretend it don’t exist; otherwise it’ll swallow you whole.