Wiser than seven...

Chameleon

Wiser than seven,
Warier than adolescent fawn,
This transient child
Is hawking her life for whims
Of perhaps-parents.
Swift cuddlings
And insistent demands;
Already reluctant
To show the pictures
Of lipsticks and eyeshadow
Which are not prized 
In this household.
Hiding her small self
Behind the social worker's
Hard sell.
She has clear, blue eyes
Which cannot
Conceal
Pain. 

July 27, 1980