Interesting topic.

Such a helpless feeling isn’t it? To speak up might not protect the child, perhaps delay, or more likely simply bring more wrath from the parent afterwards, since they would blame the child, not themselves, for your unwanted attention.

The abusive relationship is an interesting dynamic. When I was younger I worked as a plain clothes store detective one day a man was getting extremely abusive with his wife to the point I thought he was going to hit her in the store. She ran away from him and he headed to a different section of the store. I discreetly introduced myself as the store detective and told her I could keep her safe if she wanted my help. She proceeded to tell her husband that I was going to kick his ass and arrest him. He went to the hardware section and picked up a hammer and came toward me. I told him I was going to break his arm take the hammer and then handcuff him. I told him he would be arrested for assault and he would be sitting handcuffed with a broken arm for an hour in my office while we waited for the police to arrive. At this the women attacked me! Saying I shouldn\’t threaten her husband. She literally jumped on my back and told her husband to kick my ass! I threw her off me and her husband threw the hammer into one of the shelves of the store not in my direction. Then he yelled at his wife that they should leave the store and they both did. That was the moment I decided I was not going to be a police officer.

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Interesting. Sad for the child.

Yes. I’ve seen that dynamic on a life threatening scale, visiting a lady in the hospital who almost died. Medical staff tried to drive the point home as she continued to struggle between her adoration of him and the reality of what he’d done to her.

Your explanation is as deep as the poem. It starts off with so much beauty and then turns ugly, like your comment. Really intriguing style of mixture within a poetic form. Abuse tends to pass on to the victim in the form of ignorance and self hate or low self esteem. Even worse when children are involved. It could condition the child to fall victim to abuse, to and from in the growing stages of a childs mind. Really well written and great meter and rythms to the prose itself. Great read.

All too often your poem is heard with other words but same messages. TX for the composition.

ah, the guilty shame of the unwitting witness.

I liked this a lot Brad..in every single poem I have read so far that you’ve written..emotive language and gorgeous imagery is used to elicit the story/theme contained within. Birds for me are a perfect symbol of freedom..and fragility (don’t forget, I breed them)..”She holds it up, a rock..”..as a child I used to collect rocks and for me, they symbolised magic and beauty. You have so much compassion in your heart Brad O’Neill..and this lament for a little girl shows just that.

cool composition:)

Hi there i c u everywhere on this site. your poem is yet another piece of achievement for you. Im jus a kid and i wanted to write to an experienced content writer. if you could please read my story based off the book of Rifka that would be awesome. and a comment from you would be a cherished gift. thank you

That is so heart-wrenching. The beauty then the ugliness.