Resolve

She breaks her heel in the crack of the sidewalk,

Cursing God’s name as she stumbles.
Her smeared lipstick draws the eyes’ of strangers.
Their jeers echo as she pulls herself together.
She casts her shoes into an alley without hesitation.
The night is young, and they'd only slow her down.
Two drunken men call her over to their car.
A familiar stench creeps into her nostrils.
Impotence leaves one man to simply watch, 
She charges double for the show.
Her hand remains inside her clutch;
The small blade remains her only comfort.
They drop her near the alley feeling satisfied.
She fakes a smile as it starts to rain.
The other girls begin withdrawing.
Hands raised, she embraces the frigid liquid.
Shivering as the night sky washes over her.
A man in a suit asks her about her shoes.
She hands him money and tells him not to worry.
He tells her she needs to look professional, 
She reaches for the money and feels his hand around her wrist.
He locks eyes with her, trying to intimidate her.
She meets his gaze with unwavering resolve.
The feel of carpet soothes her tattered feet.
Clutter fills the small apartment she calls home.
She puts a pot of coffee on and scrambles eggs.
Her shift at the diner starts soon.
She walks into her bedroom and lies down.
She smiles as the sheets begin to rustle.
“Mommy, is breakfast ready yet?”

Wishing Well

Unbeknownst to you, I slowly suffered.

A lifetime of solitude, a heart forgotten,

Silence left to take the place of dreams.

Abandoned by hope, afraid of my desires,

Left to see the world through closed eyes.

Apathetic and cold, a mannequin on display,
Surrounded by others, yet always alone.

My sense of purpose slipping out of reach,

Afraid to look at my own reflection.

I cast my soul into a wishing well, 
Sunk into its depths, embraced by fluid darkness,

The sky above grew smaller and more faint.

Yet still, I saw the shimmer of stars,

The void below unable to consume them.

These specks of light reached out to me,
Begged for me to take their hand.

There was no water at the bottom,

Only an that emptiness surrounded me.

But I could still see the lights above,

Flickers of hope I desperately clung to.

I felt eternity pass inside my mind,

All sense of reason devoured by time.

Trapped inside the well, I faced despair,
Fought against the world I had created.

Broken down as the light began to fade,

I felt a change inside of me, a yearning.

Arms raised, I begged the light to take my hand,

Wished to be pulled wholly from the darkness,

To let go of the shackles that bound me.

There is something more for me in life,

Someone willing to help shoulder my burdens.

Frantic, I struggled towards the opening,

Terrified of the waning crescent above.

The sliver vanished behind a veil of darkness,
My light severed before I reached it.

The stone beneath my hands forgotten,
My cries echoed throughout the well.
Silence crept up from the dark pit below,
And one last time, I begged to be saved.

Warmth enveloped my hand, you came for me,

The moon to illuminate the night.