The Girl with Dark Spots Beneath Her Eyes

By Jackie Kerns

No one loves a melancholy face
No one likes the sound of blood trickling down white skin
But I fell when I met the girl with dark spots beneath her eyes

Bruises made beautiful
Red blood turned Gold
Black to White
And pallid skin made tan
In her tender face

She stands alone on the platform
With a sad look in her eyes
While she smiles to those who walk near

She peddles small boxes of matches
As the cold eats away at our hearts
She shivers in her tattered coat
And my arms burn to wrap around her frail body

As night falls like a dark blanket
Around her minute silhouette
Tears gather in her eyes
As she calls for her father

As God bestows his mercy on his purest daughter
Her eyes become wide
They glaze over
And she falls into the subway

My hands grasp her wrist
I bring Her to my chest
I close Her eyes gently
And wonder how someone can be so radiant
Even in death

My lips press against Her forehead
And I let Her continue
Her descent to the bottom of the subway
Then Follow her
To where my happiness lies
With the girl who once carried my heart
The girl with the dark spots beneath her eyes