THE BRUISED AND BATTERED CHILD...
The hitting has gotten too hard to bear for this child
She just sits in the corner and cries for a while
She tries to think of what she has done to be hit
She wonders if other children have to go through this
Bruises cover almost every area of her body
All that she wants is just a friend, just anybody
Nightmares fill her sleep at night and she wakes up crying
That’s when the hitting begins all over again, when she feels like dying
She just sits in the corner and tries to rub the bruises away
To get rid of the hurt, to erase all of her pain
She wonders what makes her parents treat her the way they do
She hurts inside and out, her eyes are black and blue
She hears a knock at her door and she starts to shake
With her pillow in her lap, she begins to pray
She does not want to be hit anymore
She closes her eyes and someone opens the door
Footsteps get louder, now they are at her feet
Maybe she will not be hit, if she pretends she is asleep
Someone lifts her up and carries her outside
The little girl now realizes it is safe to open her eyes
A friendly voice tells her that it is going to be okay
She hopes that the hurt she feels will soon go away
written 1999
