Words by Bella
Art by Kathy Lee
in another universe we are okay and we don’t hurt like this maybe that universe is one of our possible futures or maybe we missed that exit a long time ago whatever happens to us now I know that we are okay maybe not in this universe maybe not as the ‘us’ we are now but someday somewhere I promise we are okay
one day we are running through fields of long grass and sunflowers barefoot, wind in our hair sun on our backs we are baking bread and sipping tea that has been brewed for just the right amount of time we sit in a cottage made of hardwood and grit and it feels like home like our souls were made for this place
we have animals and humans that love us we bake bread and cakes and soups from the things we planted and grew with our own bare hands we are nourished we run hot baths and our only worries are what jams we shall make the next day our couches and beds are covered in hand knitted blankets and we warm ourselves by the fire and with hot chocolates when it is cold
we dive into all the books we have ever wanted to read and there is no pain in coming back to reality when the final page is turned we live near a river where we swim and wash our clothes and where the animals drink their fill we are content we laugh and we cry and we truly, deeply, wholly live and we are okay
I promise with all the blood in my heart and air in my lungs, every inch of my body knows that someday, somewhere, we are okay —- with a conviction I never knew I had I told them we are okay hoping with everything I am that I am right
