One summer bled into the next,
when the moon
whispered
its promises.
Beckoning her away
from the legend of
the Ledges, where it
held
small town secrets of
forgotten
hopes, and dreams, and virginities.

She packed her worn out
optimism-- ill-fitting as the
majestic river that
wound
its way through ramshackle,
permanently
dividing
uptown from downtown,
and all hope of
escape.