no harm will come to you

“secrets on your lips:
the time for stumbling is
not, not, not for you! oh no! keep away!”

she whispersin the hallway(
don’t let me be )alone with her
chaos in –a turquoise dress and pink
pearls with the –bare feet
and a nearly neutral slightly bluish medium gray kiss
the height of her hair
and the bruises on her back
the measures of her worth
)don’t let me be alone

(the cries are dismissed
as turkey burnt and china shattered, the wine has spilled
onto the rug and a stain, that can, never be purified-
besmirch the memory of your tricycle-childhood and damn you,
oh damn you, for going this far)

she whispers,

no harm will come to you.