Broken Promises

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My mom reaches over

and pulls my hand

from my mouth

where I chew on

the little flap of skin

along the side of my thumb

since I have no more nails

left to chew on.

An ugly habit.

One I promised Jackson

I would break.

I wonder,

do you have to keep a promise

to a dead person?

Mom holds my hand

in hers as the

music starts to play.

Jackson's

smiling face

appears on the screen

as we hear Eric Clapton's

haunting song

Tears in Heaven.

It's not long

before tears in heaven

make their way

to my eyes,

so I close them

for a second.

From out of nowhere,

I'm in his car, by his side.

Music playing.

Windows rolled down.

I kick off my shoes,

put my bare feet on the dashboard

and put my hand in his.

"Never leave me, okay?" I say to him.


"Okay," He tells me.

He squeezes my hand,

like that seals the deal.

My gaze

returns to the

beautiful boy

on the screen

while

my thumb

returns

to my mouth.

He broke his promise.

I can break mine.

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