Golden Ice
She paints her face in shades of gold Her hands shape her icy skin Hand on face brushing away darkness Brushing away light So pale So beautifully fragile Perfection in ice Don’t touch It might break But it’s all melting away anyway More gold paint. We need more gold paint. Pretend there’s still a face behind the mask Black and white questions projected on foreheads A slip of the tongue Wiped away before they have a chance at all to be Picture perfect Dancing out the door Don’t let the sun show too much There’s nothing at all to fear but fear itself While we all hide in the shadows Fear the sun To melt away the ice Leaving us to burn Is there any worse fate than the eyes of others? Talking and laughing Watching and waiting What is there to fear but the fear of others? Truth is what we make it Ice sculptures and painted face No place for bare skin and gentle sun In a world of ghosts a life is rare, precious, And short