i told him i could drive him home
after his safety was threatened
by the enter key.
he graciously thanked me
and curled into himself
the whole way home.
that evening, i asked him
if i had made the wrong choice
by smiling at him before school
all he said was no,
and that he appreciated my help
but that he was numb
today he asked me if i could
drive him home from school
next week
the quiver of his spacebar
was apparent to me even
without the barrier of speech,
his hesitance before
he touched the enter key
solidified the situation.
the enter key has hurt him
more than it has saved him
and i'll be honest with you
he is afraid to touch more
than just a key on the keyboard
he told me on the drive home
that he doesn't know affection
from inflection, that he recoils
at a handshake or hug
and honestly i don't blame him.
there are so many kinds of neglect
that even i can't name them all
but for someone who has been
left hanging in the dirt while the others
dance around them in circles
to simply accept how the world works
is absurd and unlikely. all of us
have our damages and we have all
been hurt by a touch.
so at the touch of an enter key
i tell him she lied to him
and he is, in fact, wonderful.
Nov 24, 2017
Nov 24, 2017 at 10:16 PM UTC
i told him i could drive him home
after his safety was threatened
by the enter key.
he graciously thanked me
and curled into himself
the whole way home.
that evening, i asked him
if i had made the wrong choice
by smiling at him before school
all he said was no,
and that he appreciated my help
but that he was numb
today he asked me if i could
drive him home from school
next week
the quiver of his spacebar
was apparent to me even
without the barrier of speech,
his hesitance before
he touched the enter key
solidified the situation.
the enter key has hurt him
more than it has saved him
and i'll be honest with you
he is afraid to touch more
than just a key on the keyboard
he told me on the drive home
that he doesn't know affection
from inflection, that he recoils
at a handshake or hug
and honestly i don't blame him.
there are so many kinds of neglect
that even i can't name them all
but for someone who has been
left hanging in the dirt while the others
dance around them in circles
to simply accept how the world works
is absurd and unlikely. all of us
have our damages and we have all
been hurt by a touch.
so at the touch of an enter key
i tell him she lied to him
and he is, in fact, wonderful.
~i'm sorry, he will never see this
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