Flower Girl

Do not be afraid, Flower Girl.
I am not what you think I am.
I have felt your thorns
but here I am unwounded
and alive.

The words I leave on screens
may be loud and screaming
but I stay in the shadows,
sober from the sadness
of a fallen spirit.

I have heard the words.
I have been told.
I cannot hold on to nightmares
hoping that they will become
pleasant dreams.

But I write even without hope
because thoughts need writing,
because I have senses,
because I have a soul
that almost left me–
but did not.