She became striking with a smile,
Like a bruise
When the meaning is forgotten:
Purple fading into yellow -
The colour of a violent storm.

This perfectly painted expression
Remained publicly permanent.
In the private spheres,
Where they danced in sheets -
She experienced love like a fist:

Leaving contusions and scars,
Slapped into the shape
Of a wandering man's palm:
Expensive weaves of silk
Concealed her blushing arms.

Her body became a battlefield.
Words blemished like bayonets,
Fierce as bullets; ploughing
Through esteem like a harvester
Amongst ripe crops.

Lips violently met with hers:
Sharing a brutal kiss: an expected
Silent contract written
In their saliva,
As the link became a cemetery.

The burden melted before
Her back broke:
Breathing in, with a breath
She never thought would
Taste so young.

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