tries to sleep
hoping not to wake
before bars close and
footsteps find the hall
stale booze and cigarettes
paint the wall like
hushed mouth secrets
taken to family graves
doors squeak shut
she counts to ten
knick- knack- paddy- whack
says her ABCs
over and over
clutching her doll
like lost children playing
in someone else’s
nightmare
Posted by Scot 