I held on to paper  bags just in case she would hyper
-ventilate
part of me wanted to smack her when she did
I held on to his hands just in-case he had the urge to
punch a hole through another wall
we couldn't afford to fix
those bruises
the kind that never heal
and broken knuckles are
no price to pay
but I gathered some certainty in his closed
balled up fists
because his anger meant more
than his shut eyes
and gritted teeth
Like chewing glass
loosen the screws that held his jaw
shut tight
and I promise not to tell you its okay but
it really is
at some point
we all hate those words
and she should just chill out and breathe
because people get sick
but they don't always die
there's no certainty in that
but still
it
will be
ok