The tile is cool to her face
Soothing the flushed skin.
The hardness is welcomed,
The lifelessness is welcomed.
She can no longer cry
And instead stares numbly ahead
Tracing the cracks of the wall with her eyes.
She is safe curled up on the floor.
She is at the lowest.
She can sink no further,
They can sink her no further.
And though she is not happy,
The pain has ebbed for a moment
With the thought that maybe she could just give up.
In that moment Sleep caresses her,
Calls her softly by name,
Promises her relief.
Promises her sweet nothing.
But as she looks deep into his eyes
She thinks of what she will miss
And can't bring herself to slowly melt away.
So she rises up
And begins to feel again
Ready to face the day.
And even though she knows the tile will welcome her again tonight,
She sees, for once, a time when she doesn't need the floor
