Rouge the lips
Slowly
Articulate that crimson red
Let the fingers erase
What lies beyond the lines

The eyes—traced in charcoal
Steadily the pencil outlines
The cheeks are powdered

And like an elephant,
She never forgets—
Her wrist is wrapped in ivory
The weight of her memories slows her down...

...silk upon skin
A robe that dresses a thousand memories
They unfold into the skin
A river through the veins

(There is no turning back)

Her skin is cold; she is nervous
He opens the door but she is not here
She is somewhere in the ivory
Somewhere secret,
Somewhere only memory can create

Her hands feel like stone
(He is the one who is lost)
She cannot hear the voices
She is slipping inside herself