See the pretty doll in her little glass case

Made in Germany, fine bone-white China

Sweet smiling Alizarin Crimson 2043

A demure match to her paint-flushed cheeks.

See the rigid mask of her lovely bisque face

Soft-smooth hands, all the kinder

Than her eyes, for they cannot see

The room they catch at evening's peak

When mirror-sun comes breaking through

And dust slowly dances in gold

Illuminated for a glorious hour

Till the sun falls from grace once more.

The house's every joy and rue

She keeps tucked in her dress's folds

Little marks and stains, so dour

Landmark their lives in perfect score.

But her smile and her eyes cannot hold us for long

Lovely and ageless though she may be

She will not speak, nor entertain us

Save as brief an eye's rest.

From her no laugh nor word nor song

The stillness holds for eternity

The changeless doll holds little for us

And in time, we will forget.