Cigarette

a ring of white skin
where there used to be gold
pressed up against a butt
stained purple with cheap lipstick

she remembers when she was young
and everyone would tell her how pretty she was

she never believed them

trust was a fool's game
and you could call her anything but that

when he asked her to marry him
she asked him why

when he asked her for a divorce
she asked what took so long

when he was finally gone
she felt strong

strong enough to be alone

to doubt any good deed
offered

to walk through the alleys
and stand in soup lines

to let a cigarette burn between her fingers
as she slept in a doorway
out of the rain