one minute;
she could hear her own heels clicking,
clicked
against the sharpened dirt of her backyard
next minute;
the patterns of her footsteps lost,
as the ground puzzle-piece disappeared
beneath her firefly laced eyes;

one minute;
gasping cold water breaths,
as the laughter rang bright in the ears
of a mother, a father
chasing after ponytailed hair,
laughter rang bright in the ears
of a mother, a father
next minute;
choking on her paralyzing
wonder, the ground choking
on the dust splitting,
split
beneath the absence of the
click in her heels


I wonder if her eyes closed before she
plunged into the depths of her knowledge’s death
I wonder,
what schemes she sought,
            that would forever be,
            incomplete.

Did she bloom roses?
            Petals buried beneath
            the debris
of a mother, a father.