Discovery
Two boys found her. She was hanging from a tree In their grandfather’s woods, Having jumped from the tree stand. They recognized her as the girl Who used to babysit them. She wore a leather jacket With a faux fur collar and cuffs. Her hands were very white, Her nails painted pink. Her jeans flared out over her boots. Her face was covered by her hair So they wouldn’t have to see it And remember it forever. Snow was falling, dry flakes That ticked on their jackets. Salty snot ran into their mouths. Their lashes were thick with ice. They knew they should run back Over the drifts and tell Their father, who would tell them To stop messing around, Even as he began to believe them. But they were as still as she was. They knew that nothing so strange Would ever happen to them again. They were almost honored that She had chosen their farm As the place to die. Actually, Two deaths simultaneously, Like one bell ringing another. And it was somehow magical, Though they knew that It shouldn’t be. It was magical Because it was hard to believe. Here she was, the girl who, One night, had brought A whole bag of candy And let them eat it all.