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“Yeah?” He peers down at me

“Mmm-hmm” I lift my face up

He brushes our lips together “You want me to wait for you?”

“No, I’ll be good”

“You got your piece?” he asks

“Yeah” I pat the s over my shoulder

“Good girl I’ll see you at home”

I stare down at the fresh grave and wish for the ave tough love I was always better for it

“I settled up with her, Pop She made her bed and I know you’d approve I can’t trust her to be around and keep her lips shut You knoe don’t do divided loyalties Things with Mohter to support years ago It’s funny how little I care nohen at one time I worried about ht possible When I think of the years Shadow and I wasted, it makes me sick But I don’t dwell on them That was the old Blue The new one realizes how precious and short life can be” I kneel down beside his headstone, kis

s ers, and place them on his stone For a moment, I swear I can feel his hand onto sit here for a bit” I lay onthe clouds float byshit like this as a family My pop was never too ht’ve been on the road a lot, but the time he spent with us counted

I learned a lot this year I’ht I could be, and the truth is, it’s harder to be happy Because it means you put yourself first while that hurts and upsets others It shouldn’t Maybe in a perfect world…it wouldn’t But the universe we live in is a flawed and broken thing We’re all just trying to survive its fucked up ga rulebook before So, I found ed and the sky is the lier I’hteenth birthday for, andto be okay In the end, that’s what matters most Comforted and clear-headed I stand “Later, Pop”