and when they pulled you from the tracks your body splayed and split your chest flushed bright as it was in life when they pulled you from the tracks mindful of your separate halves your face relaxed lying flat upon your back your body blushed beneath such crushing weight stolen in your awkward stage that you never would escape the same stain that decorates your chest and face with a scarlet mark of shame when youd stutter out of place and when they pulled you from the tracks your eyes gone milky white strangely alive strange this would come at the same age that your mother took his name and labor pains would collapse her fragile frame the city lights reflected off the bay from the streets where you were raised and taught your place by those stifling younger days now thats all been washed away with the color from your face tracks traced in paint from a woman raised to wait 