Forgiveness

5. 
The sun is warm, and I let it pool in the palms of my hands. I want to hold it forever, let it seep into my skin, replace the ingrained dirt and ingrained fear like baptism. 

4.
The taxi is hot, and I feel every jolt as it scuttles its way across the rocks and stones. Every impact cuts in to my skin. Bloodletting; purging, washing away the sins of the past and letting them fade into the dust. 

3.
My head is full to the brim, and every emotion is radiant and blinding. The colours are too bright, the engine too loud. It feels like drowning. 

2. 
The car stops and I get out, and I watch it pull away with dread. I am alone, and I take a moment to breathe as I watch the birds above make their own journey, their wingspan the flood of angel's wings. 

1. 
I knock on the door, my heart screaming its disjointed fear. Have I been gone too long? Have I been wiped from their memories? I am but a shadow, yet I do not follow them. I am broken off from the herd; the straggler left to die in the burning, burning heat. 

0.
A shocked expression. Open mouths. Then, open arms. I am home, I am home. In my soul, it felt like I never left.