one-thousand tiny footsteps
trembling, bleeding, cracked and sore
dinted by a veiled and pallid marble princess
listening to a long-shattered voice

a broken innocence grows
amid years of silent birds pretending,
wordlessly, revealing fleeting green memories
hungry and helplessly hopeless angels

during bleak and violent winters
a lonely twilight shadow dreams of escape
soft prayers fancifully catching late night flights
into tomorrow morning's perfect arms