dark green silk

In the living room,
she wasn't allowed
to sit on the cushions
of the big plushy couch,
because they were down
and sitting on them
would leave an indentation.

In her room,
her tiny girl's bed
had dark green silk covers,
so she wasn't allowed to sit on the bed either.

And there were no chairs in her room.
And she wasn't allowed to sit on the floor.
So she stood and looked out the window a lot.

There was a safe in her room
where her mother kept her fur coats,
and a dresser where she kept
her perfume and
jewelry and
such.

Her mother was a real piece of work, Aileen says.