ALL ON YOUR OWN

She smiled when they teased her. But everyone saw the tears

The nights were long.

The days were longer.

She missed her mother.

People said she was brave. Silly. Mature. Immature. All at once.

All she felt was sad.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her.

The other kids teased her. Said she was alone.

She tried to smile. To be brave. But everyone saw through it—the faint grin, the wet eyes.

When her mother visited, it was joy.

And it was brief.

Too brief.