Oh, Skeleton Woman

Why does she hold that babe
So close to her chest?
Does she think it'll spring from death
To suckle at her marble nipples
As if, a passing thought -
It would enjoy the taste of sand?
Clutching human ragdoll
So close to her hypothetical heart
I speculate her sorrow
Her mouth agape
Trudging through marshes,
Tripping over mountain ranges,
To lay her head
On toxic beaches, sand dune pillow
Stroking the child's green cheek
Eye sockets dilating in horror
As flesh left the corpse to reside on her hand
The feel of her own human skin
So long forgotten
And she awoke with grand wails
Finding her most precious thing absent
Presumably a meal to the sea creatures that sprout legs
Swarming the beaches at night
The spectacle of her vow to avenge
Only rivaled by her failure
A sandy grave courted by polluted waters -
Evil creatures dancing, packing sand further into her skull
Footprints printing notices of victory in the surf
Each and every night