She looked herself over in the mirror,
Hating what she saw.
She had sunken cheeks,
swollen lips,
sharp jaw framed
by harsh dark hair.

She could smell
the old cigars,
burning out,
wasting away,
as the man stood on
the poorly lit porch.

She knew it was only
a matter of time until
he would return for
seconds, actually
no, it was thirds.

She was trapped,
she could feel the anxiety
slowly seeping into her soul.
She needed to find an escape,
before it was too late.

She stood still,
listening for the man
and heard nothing as she began
to creep towards the door.

Just before she got there
she heard the shuffling.
He was returning,
she needed to go back.

With a huge sigh
she hurried back to the bureau.
Pulled out her lipstick,
and coated on yet another
layer to be smeared off.