the doll

Behind her button eyes
There is white stuffing
But could there be more?
Does her stitched-shut mouth
Hide secrets?
What would happen
If her limp, apparently lifeless body
Could move?
If beneath her patchwork exterior
There was a beating heart.

UPDATED VERSION

Behind her button eyes
There is white stuffing
But could there be more?
Does her stitched-shut
Mouth hide secrets?
What would happen if
Her limp, lifeless limbs
Could move? What if
At night, when everyone is
Asleep, she crawls out from
The toy box, where she was so
Carelessly placed, and begins
To hum a little tune, one she has
Heard her owner sing so many
Times before. She moves
Guided by some unearthly
Force, dances in pockets of moonlight.
She makes her way to the wooden train
And gently places a weightless hand
On the chipped paint and worn surface.
What if beneath her patchwork exterior
There was a beating heart?