Bruised Knees

There's a six year old girl

who draws her own bath

turning the nob for cold

first, so that she can 

stand naked in the tub

and examine the scars 

from the dirty bark on the playground

Sun has darkened the knees uncovered by shorts and skirts

Her thighs, in contrast

are pale and untouched

Like the innocence of a six year old

who has not seen reality

She has

She has seen it so clearly that sometimes she wonders

if her bruises

aren't from playing like she's been taught to believe

but by reality itself

dragging her across

the harsh ground

of this world