Good Me Bad Me

by Ali Land

A red crease of sleep visible down your cheek, eyes foggy with the adjustment from a state of rest to a state of arrest.

I thought you would own less of me after I handed you in but sometimes it feels you own more. Something as innocent as a school trip becomes a walk down memory lane with you. Invisible chains. Jangle when I walk.

I want to go over to the hut, help her, but sometimes trying to help, doing something good, can end up meaning you do something bad.

Forgiving, that’s what she is, and lonely. A person can forgive a lot if they need the company.

Simple tasks like filling the kettle require more effort, the exhaustion of being alive when someone you love isn’t.