"a whisper they never heard"

A pallid complexion

and a caged bird,

a stone face

and a whisper they never heard;

she speaks with power

but a quiet tone,

she falls away

and gives up the throne-

she wonders why

the others fight

over the same seat

that gave them light

but made her life dark

and blew out the flames

until she could only see

barely a spark;

the lights were dim

and her smile faded

but the bones in the pile

she could identify by limb-

she wondered whether hers

would someday rest

in the same pile

where she carried out the test.