a rose on her blouse.

It broke her
Heart
When she died

She was 16, always kept a rose in her blouse
She claimed it was Atonement for now

She had a cross to bear, they spoke in obnoxious stares
They’d watch from the gutters with half conscious cares
With their pungent airs and graces, they were barely faces
They were paired as strangers, tread scared as angels
She wore a barely there halo, kissed with the trace of a saint
Knew her day would come, since history favours the great
And history favours the patient with the time to spare
Especially this pretty little thing with the migrant’s hair
With the slightest prayer, walked on water, got her feet wet
Even a fool could find treasure in a beliefs wreck
I lived in her dreams debt, while I followed her steps
Those footprints in the sand, were hollow at best

[she speaks no evil]

She spoke in strange tones, walked the righteous side of the path
They hated her wretched little mouth that moved in a tiring laugh
In light of the past, they kept their jibes in their pocket
She kept gold in hers, myrrh perfumed words and a lie in a locket
She resented pious prophets with a grudge and a wink
She was a favourite at bars when she’d double their drink
I had trouble, I think, with the way that she moved
Every half bright man thought that they’d be taming this shrew
And I hated to be breaking the news, that there was no chance in hell
That they’d be touching her, fucking her, I tried my chance as well
Because as they say, every dog has its day
She wouldn’t look a man in the eye, unless he was stopping to pray

[please. let her speak. listen.]

She subsists on bread and water, heavens daughter
And when the skies broke, good lord, heathens caught her
She couldn’t breathe in the water of the tides that we spoke
On the body of the wave she was trying to float
She was tired of hope, caught her like an off beat song
Like summer gone wrong, like a knock kneed psalm
Like I can’t cause harm with a bruise on my palm
And like any good story, they say the truths in the yarn
I’d sooner discard the light in the tunnel
Then ever even admit that every day that I’d loved you
But the words bubble out now we know the truth
They put a marker on her chest now we know to shoot

[that was your last chance]

But every soothsayer knows that our times are abrupt
They also know nothing in our time spans dependent on luck
A friend isn’t love; this is a ten minute lust
Where we watched her every move, because heaven is trust
She saw the devil in us, we smelt home in her hair
Just another hopeful soul, she was broken and scared
She was hopeful we’d care, but our truths rang false
Till she wore a crown of thorns and bruise tinged hope
Loose lipped toasts with the blood of a saviour
She was another lost fool with her trust in a traitor
Betrayed not by a kiss, but a gun and a threat
We don’t believe in a Christ now, we’ll see our punishment yet

[she was telling the truth]

It was over in seconds, the shot, a sobering sound
She was 16; we left her with a rose on her blouse