I used to sleep on strangers’ laps
Soft, brittle-boned
Let them hold all my fragile
The delicate still delicate
Mama gave me as
An unwrapped present
Open in surrender
Her hands unshaken as she hands me
Over to people she never knew
Trust takes years to build but
For her it took seconds
An empty train
A smile

By Hannah Keziah A., 16, Manila, Philippines