there are twin
five finger scars
over our hearts
and on our wrists
from all the times
we tried to catch a grip.

life steeped our minds
up and down crevices.
dunked our heads
under freezing water
but never let us drown.

we are still connected.
a red string from your
pinky finger to mine.
the mirrored lines of the
five finger scars
over your heart
your wrists
and mine.

we no longer talk
about our sparing
matches with powdered
lines or one too many pills.
we fight our own battles now.

i still pray you don’t get killed.