Golden

She stands in golden sunlight

no matter how dark the day

her smile flashes

like the tail of a deer

leaping away

like a shot fired

in the slowed-down second

of a heartbeat

Fleeting and quick

but bright as that sun

warm and caring

but too scared to stay

It is not

a baring of the teeth

but of the soul

she would bring you joy

if she could only trap it

long enough to share

hold onto it

long enough to figure out the configuration

she would stitch it

by hand

and pass it out on street corners

like a newsprint message

of hope and salvation

tattered and stained, but sincere

shadows pass

and she cannot hide their presence

so she holds out that smile

as an umbrella

of warmth and hope

when her smile breaks

and she can no longer

hold the shadows at bay

she follows that deer

into the woods

until the sun comes out again