Celeste smiled coyly, giving Pearl her rings;
her earrings found their way to Stella’s ears,
bracelets to Andrea, clinking away her fears;
and then she left: she’d given them all her things.
Wild doe she wandered, following river’s side
ignoring stars, not feeling moon’s pale glow,
lurking alone so no one else would know
how little she felt, how much she lied.
She turned and walked beneath the concrete piers
that hung down from the metal struts that flew
above and lofted cars and trucks overhead;
then climbed the tempting bridge as midnight neared,
and rocked for hours on the railing as if she knew
she would lie back and fall asleep in bed.
