She wore a topaz bracelet on her wrist
One they tied around her little hands
Because they told her it was gold when she was much younger
When everything sparkly meant good things
And the shine gave her worth
They later told her gold didn’t glitter so much
That its beauty was in its subtlety
In the way it glowed without glowing
And felt heavier without its weight
She wore the topaz bracelet on her ankles
For it made her feel ashamed
As it hit the light too early
Shimmering with false venerate
Even though the room was miles ahead
And her dress to long for her ankles to show
Yet they still pointed at her covered feet
And laughed at the topaz they couldn’t quite see
She removed the bracelets from her body and hid it in her purse
Knowing it would be sheltered from unwanted gawks and the gossip that followed
She never realized though that her purse was a see through
Like most of the things in her life
An open book
A clear sky
They made her book seem *****
As if it was written with her hand stamps, meshed with all the undiscovered colors
They tore her pages and poured liquor on her cover
So she would have the taint of all the discomforting nights she endured
Following her
Already imprinted
Now she wears the topaz as a necklace
Her identification
Chocking as it’s pulled to fit
She wears it as a brand
Because it’s easier than to have a hot iron road slide against her skin
She wears it willingly because that’s all they have ever made her feel
Trapped in that small circle