the light is different, changing in a moment
diffusing the sharp orange highlights
gleaming on the leaves under a flat heavy sky
blackening over the ocean.
you will suffer too, little girl
you will feel the sharp edges of palm fronds
cutting into your naked back
and a faceless man tasting the blood on your skin.
you will feel your world pull back
shrinking into a vacuum,
you will see the faces of friends and lovers
shift, darken and disappear.
you will suffer too, little girl;
little girl,
you're no better than me.