A Vision Deferred

A wise old woman
Born of a foolish young girl,
Battered, beaten, and broken
Risen from black ashes
She found Life.
Even ugly and bruised
Her heart reached out
Conscious and concerned
She uttered words of gold
And spun diamonds
With each burdened step--
But we reject her
In awe of distant glitter
The unreachable shimmer
Of death's forsaken isle,
We watch her treasures sink
Drifting further and further away,
Buried--
Under turbulent blue waves
And salty white foam.