Adelaide Miller

lonely girls
chew the
stems of
honeysuckle
in the shade 
of willow trees

they chew 
until the 
taste runs 
bitter

but they
keep chewing
anyway 
because the
leftover
imprint 
of sweetness
is too rare
to give up

lonely girls 
climb the
limbs 
of lilac bushes
and sit
among the
blossoms

they climb
until their
knees are
scraped 

but they 
keep climbing
anyway 
because
the blood
is a 
reminder
of how far
they have 
come 

lonely girls
find the 
gaps in 
holly bushes
and count the
ripe red berries

they count 
until the
numbers 
jumble 

but they 
keep counting
over and over
again because
it is 
the only 
way to pass 
the time in
silence 

lonely girls 
pluck the 
blackberries 
from their 
cage of
thorns

they pluck 
until the 
bush is
bare 

but they
keep plucking
because 
each berry 
is a 
wish to 
keep the 
nightmares
at bay

lonely girls
dance in
the hailstorms
that batter
the roofs 
of cars

they dance
until the
bruises 
form

but they
keep dancing
anyway
because the 
storm clouds 
are a 
beautiful pattern 
in a quilt
of sorrowful gray

lonely girls 
are never
bored 
in
their 
backyards 

they are
never sad
to see the 
weather turn

they are
never truly
alone because
they have
the sunshine
and the 
rain drops
to watch
them play