For her 18th birthday
Her parents,
Who were good Christians thankyouverymuch,
Bought her a golden cross
To wear around her neck

On her 20th birthday

She sold that necklace
And told her parents she lost it
While pulling her shirtsleeve down
To cover the marks on her arm

On her 23rd birthday
Her high school sweetheart
Put a dainty ring
Onto her even daintier finger

On her 24th birthday
Her husband asked where her ring was
“Oh, it’s just up in my jewelry box”
She said.
Her dainty fingers
Had become too skeletal to wear it

On her 26th birthday
She gave birth
To a lovely baby girl
With one straw colored curl
That looked like gold in the sun

*On her 26th birthday
A woman in a black suit
With a court order
Took her first born away
She never knew the woman’s name