Out of the darkness she appeared br Black pearl eyes br Peeked out like a surprise br A curtain of shadows filled her space br A gossamer smile on a broken face br Though just a product of poverty br Her eyes told a different story br A desire for higher glory br Ebony skin of Mayan descent br Traces of history so opulent br Threatened by lighter blood br Leaving behind ashes and mud br A life filled with Icarusian dreams br She plunges into a nightmare of screams br No choice but to live in destitute br No one listens to a vapid dispute br If silence is the voice of the voiceless br It a tincture of irony, be it choice less br Torn dress and shoeless feet br A fractured frown br Was her daily crown br Hunger pangs an ominous grind br What garbage dumps would yield br Each treacherous step a mine field br The ambivalence of just being a youth br As she navigate the portals of the truth br She must dance with the devil br Try to survive at every level br The ebb and flow of life a constant itch br A shredded episode hanging by a stitch br A magnetism drew me to her br An omen of my own inequities br Dare I admit my own fragilities br Dare I step into the unknown br Where unrecognizable glances are thrown br Into a world of skin and bone br Unstable as the ripples of a skipping stone br Yet I was stuck in a quagmire br Strings of the heart afire br Pulling me, tugging me down br By the weight of this thorny crown br Could I be her Savior br Plunge into her world of misbehavior br Stay tuned for Part IIbr br Alfred Ramosbr br