Inheritance Of Bruises (Staccato Score)

[Intro] [soft piano Faint string swell] They used to fit In the crook of your arm Now they tower Over your trembling hands [Section 1] You count their steps in the hallway Like old storms rolling back Their keys on the table Feel sharper than knives They say your name Like it’s something they own Every favor Comes carved with a price [Instrumental Passage] [strings join Gentle arpeggios Heartbeat pulse in the low end] [Section 2] You fed them From your tired plate Skipped your share So their bones could grow Now they point At the wrinkles they gave you Call you small In the house you built alone They take your time Like loose coins in their pockets Raise their voice Till you shrink from the air [Instrumental Passage] [piano doubles with strings Distant wordless choir begins to glow] [Section 3] You say “I’m sorry” For asking a question They roll their eyes Like you’re an ancient ache They slam the door On your careful sentences Leave you talking To the cups in the sink You hide the bruises In your breathing In your silence In your swallowed truth [Instrumental Passage] [full strings Deeper pads Choir closer; tension rising] [Final Section] You were their shelter They make you their shadow Call it “just a bad day” As your heart comes undone But you are more Than their cold impatience More than fear Of the phone when it rings (Oh) may your name Leave their angry mouths May your hands Forget the flinch [climax – voice lifts Sustained notes] You are not Their burden to break You are not Their burden to break [Closing Passage] [piano and soft strings thin out Faint wordless humming fading into silence]