No Natural End

Eyes shadowed by yesterdays
smudged makeup, steal a glance
towards an imposing figure,
muted by the flickering candle light.

Outside the cracked window
stars tell of so many wishes
long since forgotten;
promises long since broken.

She reads the lines of his figure
like a child's easy reader.
He is agitated, he's not
high enough to escape
the flames of this life.

A strike, the bruise on her tender
cheek will greet her tomorrow
morning, when she gazes
with hate into that window
on the third floor landing,
the only one left unboarded.

The girl looking back will
remind her of the path
she's on, the one
she can't find a natural end to.