Angela

Her hand held mine in a tight clasp
The nip in the air was chilly
Our evening walk had to be shortened
Dusk was drawing near;

She hesitated a moment to sit by the lake
A slight smile twitched on her lips
She sighted her friends by the water,
A flock of geese flew past
her wistful eyes followed their flight;
I made a fleeting wish
To release her from this plight
grant her the freedom of a bird
The chirpiness,
happiness
peace;

Footsteps behind us startled her
She grew pale,trembled, tightened her grasp
Hugged me and looked up for comfort
my eyes welled up, I choked
how long could this go on
her fear of every human but me;

Will he ever be traced and convicted
for his heinous crime
Will the beast be imprisoned
for assaulting
raping
abusing
scarring
A six year old, for life

I had a million questions
Unanswered;
Will justice prevail
Will it replace innocence lost
Will she regain her lost childhood
Have a joyous youth
Are wishes granted
Prayers answered
Do miracles happen?
Will I live long enough
To comfort
Protect
Soothe
And love her
Or will she remain the lone survivor
Who lived but merely continued to exist……………