MARY BUCELLI, survivor
By Ruth Daigon

I jumped from the 6th floor
Woke up in the hospital
Alive
Now I look into mirrors, talk to myself and listen
to scorched voices filling cracks in the ceiling
and gaps in the floor boards
Even in the dark I see their screamprints

If I could stop breathing long enough
I'd move those moments
back to when the whistle blew
and everyone safe home

Now I wear dark glasses
shutting out memories living in half-light
How safe it feels for a little while
But morning's always fringed with fire
I'm afraid and move from shadow to shadow until sundown
It's getting dark earlier each day
and I have no candle

Excerpted from Payday at the Triangle. See our Behind The Scenes article this issue with Ruth!!! Payday at the Triangle by Ruth Daigon, ISBN:1-891298-10-0, Small Poetry Press, Select Poets Series.