The child silent on the playground
The child who sits in the back of the classroom
The child with fear in their eyes
The child who quietly hides the bruises
that stain their tiny arms.
The child with too many sick days
The child who is scared to tell
The child whose scars have scars,
The child who ‘falls down the stairs’
too many times.
The child who longs to be protected
The child who believes they are always wrong
The child who doesn’t understand why
The child who rushes to hide
as they hear those dreadful footsteps.
The child who clutches to the bedpost
The child, a victim under the hand of the bottle
The child whose tears sting the welts
The child who winces at the pain as
his fist meets their frail body.
The child who battles endless blows
The child who smells the stench of tears and alcohol
The child with crimson liquid polluting their pure lips
The child who helplessly weeps as their face
slams against the hardwood floor.
The child who prays for the pain to stop
The child who can’t see through their swollen eyes
The child whose body is painted black and blue
The child who howls and shrieks
in the silence of the night.
The child whose cries the neighbors ignore
The child who nobody saved
The child who tries to breathe
as they are choked by the hands of hell.
The child who is silenced.
The child who is now an angel.
