I was asked to write a piece about sexual abuse from a child's perspective, by a fellow poet who is compiling the poems she collects into a book for abuse survivors. Although I, nor anyone I know, has been personally affected by this type of abuse, I thought I'd contribute. I didn't have the heart to write an unhappy ending, for it's my hope that the ultimate endings for these children is positive, although I realize that the emotional trauma can last a lifetime. May God bless and heal them...each and every one...

I am not beaten
I am not starved
I love my father
Though sometimes it's hard

To take his night visits
I'm tired of the pain
I'm scared to tell Mom
I feel so ashamed

I think though she knows
She looks sometimes sad
If she would just leave him
I would be glad

But tomorrow I'm going
To live with my aunt
She says she can see
I'm unhappy throughout

That's now the plan
If I can survive
The long night ahead
And not lose my mind.