she sits across the room in silence
waiting, watching, willing for a sign
that she can stand up and reach
the bright, brilliant lights she sees.

she sees them blink like diamonds at dusk,
casting fluttering shadows across her skin.

she searches for the moment when she
will hold that light in her pale, small hands
and catch its dance between her nimble fingers,
letting the warmth seep into her skin.

she can almost feel it coursing through her veins
as it flows to parts of her that remain unknown.

she dreams of the tingling heat;
the hidden, hallowed, horrible heat
that cries out to each freezing corner
of an old, bitter, empty room.

she watches as the lights begin to sway
with visions of hope marring her sight.

she never loses the ghostly thoughts
of a life that was meant to live
outside the padded walls that keep her
deep within this darkest place.

she wonders if they see what she sees,
or if they keep her here because they can't.

she hears the uneven melody of metal against glass
and smiles as the lights descend upon her
so quickly she barely notices the rush of heat
as they quickly crash and shatter at her feet.

she smiles and feels it surround her now,
as the heat consumes her and she goes blind.