I've been here before,
day and night, forevermore.

Carved every memory,
through every wall.

Hoping you'd read them all.
Listen, if you please.

Through this dying heartbeat,
I yearn for peace.

I've been here before,
in a memory once more.

as the sun rises each morning
her hand slowly reaches
into her bedside drawer
searching for a face
to flaunt that day

she was told
it is unsafe for a girl
to walk the earth unguarded
unarmed to face exposure
to unknown threats

surgically and precisely
she plasters on
a new face for a new day
a new shield to protect her barest form
from polluted air and harmful rays

as the moon reveals itself each night
so does she
picking and peeling
parts of a face that were
plastered on too tightly

with each new face
unknowingly, she strips
more and more
parts of raw skin
that were truly hers

You know a girl is
really hurt if she calmly
starts to ignore you.

love is
for the exits:  
to split the atom,
divide the cell,
& break embrace,
so they may
find entry
in another.