she wears a satin gown to set the scene
imprinted with what appears to be roses
and as she begins to speak
she cries

tears are made of salt and water
which cures deep cuts
soothes surface level scrapes

have you ever tried to heal a scar?
the time it takes is almost never worth it
why waste the bandages on anything but blood?

have you ever run a red light?
in an instant- the fear meets the thrill
and that's where it gets dangerous
in her monologue

she talks about the color Red
and the fire that burned the bridges
built throughout her lifetime
a world plagued by make believe
cursed by empathetic magnetism

but she does believe in healthy living
wellness, grace and gratitude

she even eats an apple a day
like they told her as a kid in a candy store
only to waste tissues in her Tuesday appointments
with a woman whose name is probably just an alias
for a twisted identity that ends with a PhD.

have you ever picked roses off a bush
because you know it'll take a man too long to realize
that he should have paid for half a dozen?
(because now he pays for it)
well, now you're paying for it because the rose bush
isn't in your own backyard, but the neighbors
and the thorn catches you by surprise
drawing blood

she then numbs the pain with bottles
of red wine
(though she prefers a french white)
to her lips
stained by the madness of merlot
she cries

and we let her cry
as the audience applauds
they throw red roses upon the wooden stage
lit by her fire

her monologue concludes with velvet curtains

this cut (although not the deepest)
will heal soon.