She had hidden from women in clean black coats,
Satin dresses laced in back
From children tugging at heavy curtains,
Hair combed straight, eyes on fire
Their porcelain dolls watching the edges of darkened streets

Unsmiling faces had forced a lifetime of fear
And the taste of dirt in the winter
Which clung to her frozen knees, but kept back the tears.

And, you see, they tried to use her for everything she had
Wanted to make a necklace out of her bones,
Drill holes and thread silk,
Tie frayed ends together without clasps
Wear it to keep us from noticing the ruby flecks in their eyes

So she ran,
Ran until burning palms press into her sides
And the only witness fell...
Down...

Shattered into a million pieces
And scattered like stars,
Her life reversed and grew with each fading heartbeat,

Nothing, not mirrors nor open windows,
Compared to the brilliance then
Of the entire world glimmering inside her.
Hope, like liquid metal, melted into her veins,
Expanding in her throat
Until her last breathe
Caught...

Then she was gone.