Twinkle & Shine

we watched 
and were awed at the war that she waged
with herself
and we saw that she swayed with the weight
of her father and brothers and boyfriends who piled
like a landfill
and swallowed her smile in their wake

till at five o'clock sunday she purged them 
away
it shifted all into grey

like cops conceal holsters beneath their lapel
she hid dangerous things
but she downplayed them well
and instead chose to focus on twinkle and shine
while her watch ticked off seconds
and bang was in time
for the party they threw when she turned twenty-nine
so welcome to twinkle and shine

as an encore she faded away
stepped out of the party and into the street
she had nowhere to go
what would she say to the relatives
who came to see how she had grown
and who could have known that the time was approaching
when she'd be alone
yeah who could have known
that the time was approaching when little miss wonderful
stepped out on her own