she stared
at the pinkish meat of the undercooked Hamburger
that resembled tormented brains
cut apart by fake doctors
on medical TV shows

the twines of her fork scraped the plaster plate
in a screech most associate with
yelps after stubbed toes
barn owls
and tea kettles

but brought to her gray eyes
the memories of
sirens at car crashes
alarm systems
and rape whistles

it wasn’t books
but beer cans and spray paint
that weighed on her shoulders
and crooked her spine

beneath her slumped figure
thumps a heart
neither gold nor coal
but perhaps a tarnished copper

because beside the sinful items
in her ripped Jansport
rest crumpled dollar bills
for the homeless man
and cat food
for the strays

Hamburger Girl
burnt on the outside
raw on the inside
like the sorry excuse for meat that
stared up
as she glared down

she swallowed
until not a single
reddish-brown speck
stuck to the plaster plate

she could taste the misery.