an old friend

she comes to visit sometimes,

she’ll stay for weeks,

or a few hours.

she’s a pretty gal,

even though her makeup

tends to be smudged.

her hands feel heavy;

your knees beg to give out

when she places a hand on your shoulder.

and when she hugs you

it’s the most suffocating feeling.

i tried to tell her once,

that maybe she should be

kinder with her touches

but she bursted into tears

and cried for two days.

sometimes

she swoops in

and cradles my face

as my own tears drip carefully down.

looking into her watery blue eyes

only causes me to cry more.

in these moments,

she always pulls me into one of her

infamous hugs.

lately

i couldn’t help but notice

she doesn’t hold on as tight as she used to.