we carry no crutches

crookedly crawling away
a nameless generation
who once danced through starbeams
now aching in encased cold
numbed into believing we are warm
we are doing just fine
guiltless of your crimes at least
our hands dripless with blood at least

abandonment gave birth to us
and we spun our protection out of the scraps we could find
we didn’t know what to look for
we didn’t know we couldn’t see
you smiled as we fumbled — our eyes glazed with loss
you watched as we cried and screamed to silence
and never received any reply
so we spoke among ourselves
and glued our broken spines into shapes that almost stood upright

did you hear that?
no, it was only the wind
it will not speak to us
the time for pretending has long since passed