Black River   #134
April  18, 1998

The woman sits
cross-legged, her head bowed
Humiliation worn
on an decrepit lapel
eyes avert from a twisted
smile on a subway

beneath the hem
lie wrinkled toes
and suspicious snickers
empty wine glasses
sticky with regret
Thick fingers
fumbled over no's
and slithered under panties
One-Thousand thumbs
jabbed at her unwanted sexuality
Dark eyes
ignorant to pores that scream and ache

Clawing
till she could no
longer stand to feel
his skin pulsing vomit
under her nails

numbness covers
like an oversized blanket
till she disappeared;
on a beach
she falls into a deep sleep
with the sun beating down

Darkness swoons;
a kaleidoscope light switch
shakes to meet fingers
senses amplified to the soft
click of electricity
a slow motion
upward
clenched
hands gently push away
the tangled web, that masked
her shamed face

A fight lost , His evil deed
left a shell standing alone
frag-
      mented in the mirror
spitting at the split
ting of
her reflection; a whore
wearing a black river under
her left eye

The curtain is drawn, flushes
of water beat
down her hot back
like a repetitious drum
scrub brush and lye
crowds the corner
of a shower stall
A torrid waterfall of shame
at 4 am