A little girl strolled through the brightly lit streets
(Flickering lights, cracks in the street)
Twirling a pink parasol with perfect white bows.
(Broken shaft, tattered bows)
She smiles at a child waving his hands at a dog.
(Shattered bones, sharp teeth)
She laughs at a clown telling silly jokes.
(Strangled cries, dripping tears)
The little girl reaches down to pet a kitten lapping up milk.
(Grinning skulls, curdled milk)
People wave at her and smile with all their teeth.
(Missing limbs, anguished scowls)
She helps a woman plant sweet-smelling flowers in little pots.
(Wilting plants, smashed pots)
The sun shines down through a perfect, cloudless sky.
(Smokey clouds, acid rain)
The little girl smiles softly to herself; all is right. All is right, in her world.
(Burning fire, oxygen masks, hospital beds, winding tubes, wrong, wrong!)