Translucent paint flakes off of
her porcelain skin that after
fifty years remains smooth.
Thin pink lips that don't curl
upwards, weighed down by plump
rosy cheeks, rest soft on the eye.
Every wafting invisible strand of
straw-blonde hair sewn into her scalp
by hand is worth saving.
Old light illuminates her
transcendent eyes, scattering
stars across the peeling walls.
Her gown, finer than anything worn
by real little girls, hemmed and
re-hemmed, moth-eaten and gossamer,
Lacy and dainty and faded on the left
side, the side that's been facing
the window for decades
Floats with the draft of the night
And soaks up the sun, the sun's
tangible rays of dust.
Oh, sweet lovely, I see
you in all of your splendor,
the grime doesn't damper
Your glowing facade.
The cobwebs
keep you warm at night.