When We Were Younger

Sometimes,

on special occasions,

at the end

of a show,

Rutherford

would bring me

and Storm on stage

in front of

tens of thousands

of screaming fans

and introduce us

as his little

superheroes.

Then he would

let her sing

any song

she wanted:

“Twinkle, Twinkle,”

“This Little Light,”

and while she

wailed, mostly off-key,

he’d strum,

with his right hand,

a melody for her.

And with his left,

he’d massage

my head,

which was his way

of saying I love you

and Everything’s

gonna be okay.

I believed him,

despite

all our madness.

And, I guess

I still do.