tryin’ prayer

She’s so fragile
That to speak
Is too much

She hands me a note instead
With her full name, social, birth date, phone number, and temporary address

I ask her if she’d like to come in and chat so she does but only for a moment
Explains she’s under threat
Filled with fear and unspilled tears
She’s forty years older than me and barely able to keep it together
While clinging to a crystal pink rosary

The only difference between us is that I am dj’ing the song, swallowing the lyrics, and hiding my heart in notes of permanence.