If the pretty girls knew
That their faces
Would buy more than drinks
Hands twitching low
Curved cunning high
If the pretty girls knew
That even changed rules
Are pressed against
The rigid edges
Of fair compensation
If the pretty girls knew
That the words
"You are are so beautiful"
Were less a gift
Than an expectation
If the pretty girls knew
That beauty plays
Shell games empty of more
But always the possibility
Of less.
If pretty girls knew
That silence
Was the currency
Bought by their perfect
Unheard lips
If they knew
Would they barter
Their face
For a sturdier fate?
