Of Great Agony by Marcy Shieh

The child's youth was an ammunition

Heartbreaking, it was

With her heart full of vibrant volition

To the eager horror of misguided omission

And her battles longed for triumph

While life dripped onto the kitchen sink

Youthful dreams reflected the silver screen

Everything was quietly cinematic

Drama queens yearned for their royal thrones

A gift to the recipient victorious lead role

Those black-and-white images flickered

As the heroine met her downfall

And grace certainly did not revolt

Of all the battles fought in the dark

And the paucity of laughter exposed in the park

Sunday rituals forgave the nascent purgatory

As cruelty became a object of pathos past

Dreams wandered and squandered in midair

And witnessed the mustard seed at last

Ashen faces glimpsed at the worldly scandal

While false empathy glared at the crucified

The mind suffered with honor

As the same sorrow was murdered thrice

Yet streetlights blazed as the child played

Of loneliness, of homeliness

And of an indescribable masquerade