I've Forgotten How To Write For Many Reasons

by turtledove

Ever since I called her last week
I've heard from her every day
Her sugary voice
says my name like a question
That I don't know how to answer

She jumped down from the truck
Slamming the door before her mother could say goodbye
And she looked at me with eyes that asked me
who I really was

I looked away and asked her how school was going
She watched as I walked through the snow,
up the elevator,
to my room

I taught her to hold the yarn
What motions would create what result
She told me her mom trusted her with her cell phone
And that she had my number memorized

I smiled into my project
And felt like a fraud

This was her life
And to me it was a game