I am Mary

I was pretty

You may remember me from the ninth grade

The boys would hold me

And my friends told me

The world would know me someday



I’ve made choices

Heard some voices

Fought the battles inside my head

Life’s a fabric

But when I grabbed it

All I got was a handful of threads



There’s a stairwell

I know so well

‘Cuz it gets cold out in the street

A crumpled dollar

To start a fire

So that I could warm my feet



Police stations

Investigations

Of a fire burning bright

They showed me pictures

Of those children

And told me I was there that night



Conversations

Medications

All my friends have left me now

No one could see them

But now I need them

To help me figure all this out



Why do they feed me

Give me T.V.

And a blanket for my feet

But something’s workin’

‘Cuz it starts hurtin’

When it all comes back to me