Paths 84 Claine Keily

She dragged the statue
of the madonna
over to her bedside
looked out through the window
at the spray on pebble driveway
and wished only
for fields of wattle

But she saw only
the plastic peeking out
from in between the rocks
in her mother's garden

She wanted to go to
the movie theatre
to feel tears
stain her face and take
her mascara with it
to be messy

But the one tree
on the lawn
marred her dream
as did the snapshot of
her mother
smiling wanly
in a cheaply carpeted condominium