The Lord's Prayer

A warm summer breeze blows
through the pretty little town, calm and soothing,
peaceful and sweet.
The world sleeps with a serenity
that the day's deeds have been done,
life's tasks have been accomplished,
and everyone has survived
one more
day.
And deep in the night,
tucked away on a pretty little street
in the pretty little town
is a pretty little girl
battered and bruised
broken and cold
who crouches in front of a bedroom window
and whispers quietly to God.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven..."

She speaks to the stars
and the moon shines down
And out of politeness,the girl gives her greetings
to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
in hopes that she will soon be in
their good graces.

"Dear God, and Jesus, of course;
I wouldn't want you to think
I was forgetting about you!
(The little girl smiles her warmest smile
for Christ our Lord.)
Please take care of all the people in the world.
Please make the homeless people find a home,
the hungry people find food,
and the people with no clothes find a warm place.
And please make the flies
that bother the horse down the street
leave him alone.
His owner makes him wear a mask,
and I don't think he likes being
blind all the time..."

She prays for her family
and prays for the neighbors
She speaks to the stars
and the moon shines down
And the little girl tries fervently
to forget no one.

"...and please, God, take away all the pollution,
and make the trees in the rainforests grow faster
and make all the endangered animals
not endangered anymore,
and take all the extinct ones to Heaven
where no one will kill them anymore...please."

The time has come
and the little girl makes her plea.

"And God? If you have some time later,
I'd reallyreally like it if you could
take me away.
I don't mind where you put me,
and I don't want you to think I'm selfish
or anything.
But can you please take me away from this house?
Please?
Everyone hates me so much here..."

She speaks to the stars
and the moon shines down
on two shining, watery brown eyes
and a tear-stained face
and the pretty little girl quietly whispers,

"I just want to die."

She says her goodnights
to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
and whispers "Amen"

The world sleeps with a serenity
that the day's deeds have been done,
life's tasks have been accomplished...
but the little girl cries herself to sleep,
a shattered spirit and a broken heart,
gut-wrenching tears that can only come from
someone who is crushed,
crushed in mind, crushed in spirit, and
crushed that she has survived
one more
day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A warm spring breeze blows
through the pretty little town, fresh and clean,
cheerful and new.
The world keeps busy,
productive at its busy jobs
and juggling its busy lives.
The world is satisfied
with its accomplished tasks
and its successful meetings
and its fruitful family life.

The sun shines down
on the little girl's tears,
glistening like diamonds in the rough.

The sun shines down
on the little girl's legs,
purple and bruised,
swollen and sore,
belt marks lashed into her skin.

The sun shines down
on the little girl's cheek,
red and stinging,
the outline of a hand slowly appearing
as if it were a magic trick.

And the little girl prays
for someone to love her,
to hold her and save her
from being imperfect.
She cries quietly,
so no one will hear her,
then suddenly stops...

Only babies cry.

The little girl sits,
painfully wondering why...
large, puzzled brown eyes
stare out of a small face
on a small body.

The little girl waits,
frightened and still,
nervously wondering when...

Footsteps

Footsteps sound in the hall,
and the little girl braces herself
She prays for night
When the world will sleep peacefully
and the footsteps will cease
and maybe, just maybe, God will listen

A voice screeches out
The little girl cowers
"I'm sorry" she cries
a shadow falls over her

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world sleeps with a serenity
that the day's deeds have been done,
life's tasks have been accomplished...

And a pretty little girl
in a pretty little town
crouches on her knees
and whispers quietly to God.