Dark forest surrounds her

The smell of earthy decay reaches her nose

She breathes deep, digging her toes

Deeper into the dark, damp earth

The full moon's luminescent rays

Cast jarring shadows, throwing the world

Into a harsh reality

Dark shadows hide dangers unforeseen

Lustrous eyes stare at her from within

The deepest obscurities, hidden by immense trees

The ancients, always watching

But never whispering a word

Crows caw within the darkness

Sending shivers ascending her spine

Making her hair stand on end

Her hair billows around her

Like a curtain in a summer gust

Glowing an insipid red

Watered down by her mother's tears

Devoid of the luster of light

Sapped of the brightness of youth

Within the moon's sympathetic eyes

The girl changes

Grows old from wear

Worry and tear

Bones become brittle as dried leaves

Her skin wrinkles

Like the folds of the sand dunes of time

Her eyes fail to see

Like water gone cloudy from

Debris stirred up by troubles long forgotten

Her mind, once as porous

As fresh, springy moss

Dries and cracks, like a dried steam

But her eyes remain

Bright and knowing

Twinkling like the stars