She is the sky… by Dani Marty
She attracted chaos. A beautiful distraction, a painful lesson. Her eyes lit up in the darkest of times. I never asked why for fear they’d go dark again. She held me at arms-length after I broke her. I couldn’t get her back. The more I tried, the further she got. She was never going to feel that pain again.
She swept the floors systematically. She liked order, routines. Always starting on the west side. Perhaps her favorite room in the house. The one with books. Where she could escape. She liked to lie on the cold laminate floor in the morning and cuddle the dogs.
She stared into the distance. Vacant eyes for moments at a time. Thoughts far from where she was. She was sad. Always. A constant state of being. She dreamed of being alone. Languorous days spent reading books and rearranging furniture. Watching romantic comedies and scoffing at the inaccuracy of how often people really find their soul mates.
She was a pessimist by nature. Ingrained in her by a narcissist long ago. She dripped sarcasm. Showed love in the strangest ways. She admitted she was mean. Her heart was huge, but her mouth was awkward. Her words never reflected what she wanted to say. Not out loud. Her writing held her soul. Could express everything without saying a word.
She never shared it with me. She shared with very few. Held everyone at bay. She could make you fall in love with her and make you hate her in the same day. I wanted to hate her. I still do.
Dani Marty is a Latinx writer from New Mexico. She lettered in Creative Writing in high school and took several Creative Writing and Poetry courses in college. She has been writing for over 16 years and has recently begun sharing her work.