In the White Room by Sandy Hiss

innocence peacefully sleeps
wrapped snuggly inside the petals
of a magnolia tree.  Scent of sweetness
permeates the air, translucent clouds
that soak up the grey rain of time.

In the corner, a young girl poses
for the cover of Muse magazine.
Legs crossed, shoulders pert
cutting out paperdolls from the wings
of opal moths.  Every doll is a clone,
porcelain skin, Geisha lips, and
onyx eyes that close when the moon appears.

She knows the language of darkness.  
Studied it silently through violet glasses.
How it seduced her mother and drove her
father insane.  She can still hear his howls
and how they shocked the hairs on her arms.

So she stays within the light,
locking all doors to the outside.  
Her heart, a pearl unblemished.



*Published in The Literary Burlesque, Fall 2010




Sandy Hiss writes poetry & fiction, sometimes dark, magical, or mysterious.  Her fondest memories of childhood are from her years in Germany, playing in the vast woods behind her home which contributed to her lifelong love of fairy tales, magical realism, and the paranormal. Sandy currently resides in Southern California with her husband and two children.