When I thought of you then
I’d be happy, excited,glad to have a person who got me
And stoked the child in me.
That was the year I left the battleground behind me
Determined to live my life and my age.
That was the best year
For you walked into my life promising friendship, laughter and abundant cheap tea by the road side.
It wasn’t too long before the sun burnt my skin raw and the tea bittered my mouth all over.
I clung to whatever I had left
You let me
Showing off my burnt skin as your badge of honour
All the while, lighting cigarettes and testing my raw against their glowing ember.
I lived through it though,
My skin healed. The bitterness eventually left my mouth. The scars that stayed made for interesting stories.
And whispered everyday “You lived, you lived. You healed.”