the little girl, quietly climbing
the stairs in a large house, escaped
from a neglectful au pair’s eyes
step by delicate step, small feet
trace the white carpet to the sanctuary,
her goal – mother’s bedroom.
six-year old footprints, unsteady across
the threshold, terrified of discovery
yet brave enough for the prize.
she crawls into the bottom drawer,
lush with soft cashmere sweaters,
bearing French perfume in their fibres
this, the treasure; the smell of Her.
the aroma of the love she is denied
by a mother who will not embrace her
here in secret, in stolen half-terror,
the little girl seeks her nurture, sobbing
silently, into a softness unmaternal.
Image by Gabby Orcutt.