To Keep the Child Sane

A little bitty girl

Sits hiding on her bed.

She knows that he will be there

If she lifts her head.

So she cowers there,

To ward off all of his hits.

She leans against the wall.

She waits and she sits.

Eventually he leaves her

With a slam of the door.

She really wants to run;

She wants to hide no more.

Her mind wanders then

To an hour ago:

He hit her, and he beat her,

And he wouldn’t let her go.

She comes to the present,

And runs across the road.

There is always love there,

They try to share her load.

They hug her and they feed her,

And try to stop the pain.

They keep her warm and love her

To keep the child sane.

Alica Hall