THE MEANING OF PAIN.

The little girl walked                                   

to the edge of the valley.

Her dress was torn and

her hair was covered

in the ashes of dreams

that had burned up

in the flames of those

who no longer cared.

 

They had lost the ability

to care for any one,

except themselves.

Their eyes were dead.

Their faces were drawn,

and their hearts had

turned into stone.

 

The girl had come                                

down from the mountain,

wearing a dress the color

of fresh-fallen snow.

She carried love

and faith in her arms,

as well as the belief

That good existed in

the hearts of others.

 

The people waited for her,

and surrounded her.

They threw dirt

and rocks at her.

They made fun

of her dreams,

and took away

the hope she had.

 

They chased her,

and told her to go,

for she was different;

and they could not accept

the gifts she had brought.

She was devastated

by the pain of rejection.

 

She picked up her gifts,                       

and disappeared,

into the darkness.

She came to a fork

at the end of the road.

“Which way?” she whispered.

The road to the left,

led to the mountain.

The road to the right,

to another town.

 

Years went by,

and people said

they heard, at night,

the sound of howling.

To them, it sounded like

a broken-hearted  child.

Yu/stan/kema