Canary

• Sophie Maltby, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2018

Once there was a girl,
She was white as pearl,
But bruises and scars tore her to shreds.
We asked, she shrugged it off said it was nothing.
But actions speak louder than words.

The times when she was happy was when she danced.
She danced like there was no pain in her or any other world.
Even when she let the marks show.
While the other groups danced, she would sing softly, just under the music.
Repeating the words in perfect harmony.
Like a Canary.

Our canary has moved on.
She flies above us.
Invisible.
They say she drowned, her wings couldn't carry her.
It's what she would have wanted.