Your Poetry Dot Com - Then and Now

THEN
She hides in the dark, alone in bed
“I need to keep my thoughts in my head.”
She’s a little girl, age barely four
“I’m afraid of what’s behind the door.”
She covers her ears, to block the shouts
“Am I the one they’re fighting about?”
She tries to be good, but can’t fit their mold
“I’ve done my best to do as I’m told.”
She stays real quiet, hears a glass break
“I hope they don’t find out I’m awake.”
She’s a cute girl, her mother masks well
“I don’t want to have to hear them yell”
She hears a loud noise, begins to sway
“Why doesn’t mommy make him go away?”
She had no father, he was long gone
“I think the clock says it’s nearly dawn”
She listens closely, the door slams shut
“Something’s wrong, I feel it in my gut.”
She’s scared to move, she lies very still
“Mommy’s gonna cry, I know she will.”
She stares at the wall, listening for noise
“All I hear are a few neighbor boys.”
She lies there for what seems like forever
“This feels like the longest night ever.”
She hears a siren and sees something bright
“What’s going on? Are those flashing lights?”
She sits up in bed when she hears them knock
“Why are they knocking at 6 o’clock?”
She is alarmed when she hears them break in
“Too many scary things to take in!”

She is scared, doesn’t know what to do
She stares at her door as a man comes through
He sees her there and he nearly cries
In her terror, she covers her eyes.
He says softly “I’m here to help you”
He spreads his arms for her to climb into
She lets him hold her close to his chest
She tries to speak but her voice is stressed
He holds back tears, says “It’ll be okay”
He tells her he’ll find her a place to stay
She doesn’t understand why he’s there
He tries so hard to show her he cares
He says to her “Darling close your eyes”
He begins to carry her outside
Before they make it out the front door
She sees her mother lying on the floor
She can’t help but scream, her mom is dead
His heart breaks, there is nothing to be said.
He hands her to the woman medic
Hoping she’d be the most empathetic
Nothing they did to try to calm her down
Could keep her screams from being heard around town

NOW
That was her story from so long ago
Despite the time, she never quite let go
Although the impact was still lifelong
She took what life gave her and grew strong
Now it’s her mission to help girls like her
To get through whatever may occur
She listens to the girls talk or sob
But you’ll never hear her call it a job
It’s her purpose, her reason to live
She wishes to give all she can give
She’s taken her story, sad as can be
And found a way to make it her key
She’s made it her tool to help those in need
And gently teaches them how to proceed
That was her story from so long ago
But that was not the end of her show
I hope you can see, that this shows how
The past can’t stop you from living now

This poem is Copyright ยฉ Ciera1423