A little girl with tangled hair

And eyes full of tears

Hides in the corner

And counts the passing years.

Her face is filled with terror

And her heart skips a beat.

Her stomach hurts with hunger.

There is no food to eat.

Her shoes are worn and tattered.

She has no socks to wear.

Her clothes are torn and dirty

And her scars are laid bare.

 

She listens for the footsteps

That signal the return

Of a woman filled with hatred

And a face cold and stern.

Her eyes have no emotion.

Her lips are cruel and thin.

She smells of beer and vomit

As the hitting  games begin.

Her teeth flash in the darkness.

A laugh escapes her lips,

As the little girl struggles

Between her mother’s hips.

 

There is no place to run to.

The child can’t get away

And escape this woman

Who stinks of ripe decay.

Her arms are held so tightly.

She hears the whispered words:

“Be still or I will bite you.

Your screams will not be heard.”

The little girl saved herself

The only way she could.

She dug a hole inside herself

Which no one understood.

 

She crawled inside, locked a gate,

And threw away the key.

She felt no pain or sorrow

And she felt like she was free.

She learned that being free and safe

Could be a prison too,

Avoiding all the  good in life,

Was hard for her to do.

To be unseen and be unloved

And miss out on the smiles,

To miss the gentleness of touch

This all makes life worth while.

 

A little girl with tangled hair

And eyes full of pain

Would like to find the courage

To come out in the rain.

She’d like to learn to trust someone,

Be gentle with her heart,

And value all she is inside

And not tear her apart.

She’d need to know that you

Would never run away

And leave her in the darkness

With the nightmare of that day.

 

She’d have to know that you aren’t

Afraid to touch her tears

And that you’ll help her find a way

To conquer all her fears.

But most of all she needs to see

You’re not afraid to care

For one small child in need of God

Whose love is everywhere.

Yu/stan/kema-