Sleeping Beauty

the pictures on the fridge drawn by

the eight-year old girl tell the story of how

the victims lay awake at night

staring out windows, remembering the bible verse

about help coming from the hills

while the jerks sleep soundly in their beds

dreaming of their out-of-body and

into-body experiences.

the mothers of the victims are in beds

made with purple sheets

which is, of course, the color of forgiveness.

sometimes, the victims can't breathe

sinking into their self-built,

semi-permeable cell walls.

boxes of the future contain pictures of

the same victim-girl grown up and sleeping again.

this time, she is with another person, a dummer-boy

who wears a condom, so it's okay

and she's taking pills, just in case,

so there are no worries, nor doubts, nor consequences.

out of doors and out of dreams live the happy little thoughts

and small heart fires that kindle themselves

into the teenage love-lust of a faux-relationship,

but indoors and in dreams live the little monsters

and nightmares that bleed all over the bed again.

she thinks about going public with her secret,

but she knows about the picture on the fridge

drawn by the eight-year old girl that tells her story

and how, a few weeks later, it is taken down and

placed in the recycling bin (paper isn't trash anymore),

and a therapist with a degree from Harvard

tells the victim's mother that

there is no jerk lying in bed sleeping soundly

dreaming of into-body experiences,

it is only a little girl dreaming of

out-of-body experiences,

according to Freud.

she walks out the door and

winks at her.

Author's Note

If you liked this, read "Sunrays and PB&Js Are So Ten Years Ago".

Reviews

[MollyAger]

Very sad piece! Liked the twist at the end- adds a whole other level of drama to it. Well written and well done. Bravo!