Dingy Blue Flowers

On a fall morning, the woods are her playground.
Too young to work, too old to be looked after,
She wanders off alone -
Knobby knees visable below the hem of her dress.

Her dress, made by her mother years before,
Became stained as time wore on,
Light blue flowers seemed dingy, no longer bright.
Worn thin by years of wear.

A rabbit hops by, startling her.
Surprised, she cries out.
Seeing it, a slow smile begins to form on her young lips.
Cradling it in her arms, she befriends it.

Light gray eyes of the girl look into
Dark brown ones of the rabbit, hurt;
Similar yet different.
Together, they wander alone.

Returning, mud streaks her scrawny calves.
Tears flow from her light eyes down her pale cheeks.
Returning, she's alone.
In her short life, so much tragedy.