if it were a divorce
you'd want to know how i fared.
wouldn't you lend a sympathetic ear,
murmur reassurance and soothing validation?
comfort for the wounded heart might flow
naturally even if you saw two sides.

so sad to be bereft of all places in your hearts.
i shoulder my heartbreaking burden apart from you
without your even noticing.

to be invisible and invalid
is not my cup of tea.
i move further away
toward those who see me, flowing with tears
to a country i didn't know existed.

i am the only one in my family.