Sweet little girl in the corner
all alone -
black and purple eyes with
your haunted, bewhildered stare -
you think no one sees you there...
Love should not be given
by a fist to beauty's face.
Spilled milk does not
deserve a broken arm.
No reason to be harmed.
You can stop the pain!
Know you are not to blame.
Speak up and be free -
share your fears with me.
I'll believe,
you see...
it also happened to me...
Author notes
I was one of those statistics you mentioned. I was abused physically, mentally, and sexually by a member of my family during the earliest part of my childhood. The abuse went on for 6-7 years. It has been a long hard struggle to heal myself of the torture I went through... but I am very thankful, I survived. I have dealt with my past, and it no longer affects me, except to speak out against abuse and neglect of any kind, but especially abuse and neglect of children.
Now I'm grown, and have a family of my own. I remind myself of what I went through every day, to ensure that I do not do the same to my own children. That is another statistic not mentioned here... but 90% of abused and neglected children grow up to be abusive and neglectful parents. But the cycle CAN be broken.
If you see or hear a child being abused... I BEG you to tell someone. Tell a teacher, tell a cop, call Child Welfare Services... but PLEASE don't look the other way. Don't kid yourself in thinking that it's not your problem, not your concern. The easiest way for evil to thrive is for good people to sit back and do nothing. And if you do know of someone being abused, and you don't report it, you are just as guilty of that abuse as the one that throws the punches.
If you are being abused... it is NOT YOUR FAULT!!! I can't stress that enough. And it will not stop... until you report it. If you have to... run away... find the nearest church, school, police station, or fire station. But tell someone. You deserve to live, free of the abuse you are receiving.
I'm sorry, I will get down off of my soapbox now. paw-writer, I thank you for this contest. Even if I don't win... I will always enter these types of contests, because the more people that are aware of this kind of horror.... the more that are moved by my words, and the words of others... the closer we are to putting an end to this destructive madness.
A contest entry
- Child Abuse: What words can you give children for hope? by Nicada.
950 points, ended August 14, 2008, 9 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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It is so true that we as survivors can empathize completely with children who are abused. It is so important to reach out to help in any way we can for these precious children. To tell them they are in no way to blame because so many grow up still holding the shame and the blame. Great and powerful poem,and thanks for entering my contest. Blessings, Patty
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