petals of sin

kneeling down to pick
a wilting flower in her
path
the leaves begin to bleed and cry
as her fingers gently stroke them.
and one by one, more buds
crinkle and wither and bleed and
cry
along her path.
she can't help but bleed
in her own heart
for the poor souls
who fell victim in her
path.
for she only meant to cleanse
the petals of sin.
returning to stand, raising the flora
to her lips,
blood, in long streams,
aced down her arms,
hurtling to the ground.
lips parted, and
bit firmly into the
weeping petals.
and the crying stopped,
all at once,
and all the leaves from the silent buds
poured blood onto her
path.
she continued on.

Date unknown, 2003