She set the record straight and burned all the evidence. Years ago I watched hope seep from every pore with no trace of sweat. She gave it up and called home for the first time in a long time. Miles and miles and she knew we were home because we will stay here forever. We talked about leaving too, but none of us have the guts. But she did. She hopelessly wandered away and when she came back we felt the earth shift. She sits gently in a place she now calls home. I’d like to think that hope is creeping in with the sunlight that spreads across her living room in the morning. That she feels peace cover her in gentle moments because she fucking earned it. That she can breathe alittle easier after everything that happened. I watch her in many versions of light and she shines the brightest every fucking time. I’m so afraid of the future and so grateful for the present and so sad about the past but it led us here. Breathless from laughter and moving onward. Rendering a new version of what we can make of this life- like a masterpiece. It’s ours to hold and I won’t let go as long as she hangs on. She is a force. She is home. She is hope. -AMT