Little Girl 'You' Ran Away Poem by James McLain

After You Have Run Away;
and after the money,
that you need has run like you so low.
How long can you live off those small,
packets of sweet honey, So 'dear'.
Warm each they gave you, when you bought that
last finger of chicken,
you being hungry and so thin you must eat it all.
They who eat only sweet candy, soft it is moist taffy
bagged candy and treats in cups each girl holds,
such as yours.
They can see the toothache you now have
not some small widening stain,
that's your soul that you carry inside from them.
Your little suit case, dainty and small packed inside.
One pair of jeans your skirt from church some knee socks
and your flops and pink clear panties,
because you are a pink oyster they all want to drain you.
Sixteen or younger the dark living jungle you see.
The whole world is locked so far now away, from you.
The man in blue would take you home, child again.
The other lives in the back red Allys way.
He does not smell the Lilly or Rose he just cracks,
open the moon and moves around each clouds soft face.
Mean are the bruises around what were once your,
soft and milk thistle your silkies.
Winter looks down and comes back to keep in us all,
but not like that,
in the back of a stall, on your hands and knees
where those old salty leaves,
always rain down from the trees, that can't stand on there own.



s.t.