One in six
Every two minutes (not that I keep track)
Counting out the time, alarm set on my cell phone to remind me that
For one hundred and nineteen seconds
I am safe
That I can breathe easy knowing that someone else took the bullet for me this time
Guilt and relief digging their claws into my brain

Three
Two
One
Is it my turn to keep another sister safe from harm?
To be romanced behind a dumpster, aftershave courtesy Jack Daniel and Coca Cola?
The strangest things go through your head
Eggs and hash browns for breakfast
How long does it take to drown?
How long can the brain go without oxygen before the memory is erased?
More than two minutes?

One in six
Every two minutes
Not even enough for the latest Taylor Swift single
My heart making the beat seem frozen in molasses as I hurry between the lights
And the darkness in-between

One in six
Every two minutes.
I count each footfall
Each step down the darkened ally takes
One
Single
Second
Each shadow is just that, a dark hole in the fabric of fear

One in six.
The lights go out and another star is swallowed and lost
And no one notices that the sky is a little bit darker
Than it was
Two minutes ago