tears falling on abandoned spaces
this little girl

pigtailed, unwrinkled
mourns the passing of years like soldiers

off to war - off to forget hurried touches
full of electric and 'can i have this dance'

this desperate woman plows through mountains
for diamonds when, really, any gem would do

or a stone worn smooth from disappearing water
or a twig that seemed to bear

the resemblance of the boy by the water cooler
at the first grade spring concert

water fell from his lips and when my turn came
we shared a moment of nourishment

i fear commitment like starvation
loneliness like death

Penelope Talbert