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give me a memory in which your voice does not sound like receding footsteps / give me a memory in which my father does not chase me out of the house for daring to look him

straight in the eye / give me a truth that isn't bitter enough for me to spit out lies / give me a dream in which my brother isn't lying too still on the bed / give me enough

strength in these fingers to write a new world into existence / give me a starry night that doesn't end with me screaming myself awake / give me an early afternoon that doesn't

cause my eyes to bleed — everytime i look up to heaven with a prayer rising up my throat / give me an apology that doesn't cause me to choke on syllables / give me an

embrace that leaves enough space for me to feel my own body / give me a flower that won't die if i decide not to leave my bed for days / give me a life that doesn't end in me

being an unclaimed corpse / give me enough love for me to believe in love / give me a rainy day that stops the movement of the earth / what i mean is : give me a rainy day

that freezes time / give me a song that never stops playing / give me a thunderstorm that doesn't lead to whimpers & calls for a mother that never listens / give me a memory

that doesn't reopen old wounds / give me an iroko tree that allows my fingers to touch when i wrap myself around its trunk / give me a snowflake that doesn't melt in the end