Make-believe
by
Amethyst

you made me hollyhock dolls
and sang to me
and we played pretend
and I didn't understand
why
I couldn't live at your house

then
I learned that auntie
meant you were
my mom's sister

(how could that be?
I trusted you)

so
you had to take me home

and you couldn't listen
to things I had to tell

and everything would be fine
if it remained unspoken

I came to your door
quiet
and quieter
and you said,
"Let's make sugar cookies."

We rolled the dough
tossed flour at each other
cut out shapes
of roosters, rabbits, stars
you sang off key
in different voices
and did things that were
a little bit crazy

filled me up with cookies
and laughter
and love enough

to face going back

my best friend
in a game without words
lip-reading my heart