He placed me in the arms of a woman
who carried the weight of the sky on her shoulders,
in a village where even the air was quiet with distance.
I was the echo of her heartbeat,
the soft hum of her sacrifice,
and she was my first fortress.
Nineteen years she held me,
nineteen years of turning wounds into wisdom,
wrapping me in layers of courage,
like worn blanket stitched with hope.fnj
