I am an avatar
fearless defender of mortals
with yellow mom hair

I’m a wisecracking plushy
just the right size
to pull close in the night

a bright voice on the phone
soothing smile on a screen
my thumbs say i ♥︎ u a thousand times over

but not the warm body
she is wired to hold, the heart beat she’s known
since before birth

no matter the story, missing’s the same

a thousand times apart, a thousand
broken hearts