fugitive peaces

i'm not entirely convinced
that names need remembering.
that
once lost
they render spirit irretrievable
mustardyellow, ochre, gilded, she peers through the fraying curtains
into nothing
and this is significant.
this
is where - how - when - holocaust begins
seeping, apartheid steeped in gastide

broken mirrors, immobile, fragmented, but whole
and irreducible
the skin, taut under her twentysomething sunkissed
eyelash, smooth as uninterrupted embryo
or unripe starfruit
untangled, unrepentant,
she watches the light refract in
the wayward running raindrop
clinging to existence through
liminal glass.

when she was killed, they said
amelia, bella, sinead, guinevere
was beautiful
and young
brilliant
(unwise)
fresh
(untouched)
was delicate
elegant
and light.
that susan,
jocelyn, anna, dale
will be missed
won't be forgotten
waits
in the tightest clutches of heaven
for those who remember her.

but she is watching still
watching, still,
exposition dense and unreadable
as the rain breaks loose and sinks into
pungent loam.