Holy socks drag on cracked sidewalks She had a pink shirt,
Or what seemed like it was once pink She wore a smile & talked to her friend I never saw him, but I’m sure he’s nice I swear, her jeans never came with holes, She’s too young to sport that fashion Her face was the moon, not the cheesy one, but pale & distant Her hair, matted and knotty like dad’s unused twine ball sitting in his toolbox Did she have a brother? Where was he? I’m sure that unclothed Barbie in her hand needed a Ken
(~)
Reclined with their hands dangling over ashtrays, where the only entity in their mind calling for their attention is a liver-punching depressant. Where eyes open for another hit, and close to the cries of their children Tonka trucks make snow angels in ash covered carpets, Walls inhale secondhand sadness; stained with the tears of neglect, Unmade beds and unfolded clothes shower their unpaid apartment, Eviction notices pinned to the fridge with crayon drawings of “daddy”, Her request for another beer echoes the empty room & it crosses her mind
“where the **** is she?”
To the 4-5 year old girl wandering aimlessly through the streets; I hope you made it home safe.