At the time, shame wore the face of a woman
So that she had only to look in the mirror and know
She had caused the dam to break, the water to spill, the beer to ferment

At the time, no DNA could reveal who
What or why and there was no reason to reveal
The lineage, the lucky swimmer, its flagella proudly raised above its head like a prize

Brothers, uncles, fathers, family all came one after another to celebrate
Her unresponsive invitation until at last
The blessed aphrodisiac wore off and sleep drew them to her own vagina

And their exploits became dreams
And their exploited became curved, seductive brain waves
And their exploiting became a secret to keep

In their day to day veil of denial
In their accusing icon, number one aimed at their victim’s defenseless form
In their maniacal laughter the next drunken frolic of reminiscence

When the bounty came forth, a quiet kind of uncertainty ensued
Dangerous curiosity resonated from every potential
But she bore no brand, no tattletale sign of her seed

So that in a matter of days she was forgotten, left to her innocent hunger
To a cold and whispery sanctuary
Where the warmth of love wore the mask of self hatred like a warning

Unfilled she grew, a vacuum sucking, beckoning come close
Her innocence only an opening act for the main event
When the magician turned emptiness into a rabbit and then back into emptiness

When the players turned silence into music and then back into silence again
When the clown turned waiting into laughter and then into waiting once more
When the drain turned blissful spray into an unfilled chasm

The victim, a broken trophy, contorted, its engraving scratched away
Pride an empty word like an anagram missing a letter that would make it valid again
He staggers away, nobody’s child blinks, like a baby doll when you tip it backward

Unaware, ignorant of her own essence, a siren calling, destroying, all that might save her
Her long lost chance, the missing piece of her puzzle, hides away behind her mother’s alcoholic smile
Her initial need, a wisp of smoky recall that curled up into God’s nostrils a long time ago

Second hand smoke mixed with the tears He shed at the inception
A light cough develops, the chain reaction of one evil moment
Choking the life out of even that once hopeful blaze.