Sharp Stars
The girl wraps shivering arms
around herself,
Her skin scraped raw by a
coarse dress, and a
Thread bare cap covers
scraggly hair.
Mama? Papa?
Have fled, leaving behind a
puddle of
Blood still stains her
Fingers grip a scrap of bread
Close to her gaunt chest
between the
Crevices of her ribs and
shadows
From a tiny lick of flame.
Her head pounds with each
Step through icy water.
Eyes crawl on her skin in the
gloom
Wax scalds her skin, dripping
Lost in the filth beneath her
feet.
Shadows press around her, and
claws
Snatch the bread, the cap,
Tears the cloth and hair in a
frenzy,
Jagged nails rip her
parchment skin, and
Leave her there, curled
naked.
She leaves the streets behind
her
Gentle leaves, softer than
her mother’s touch
Lull her, and she sleeps,
cradled by gnarled roots.
Sharp stars fall around her
frozen body,
Glinting like coins.
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