I'd felt the shards of shattered faith,
  as angry swords jabbed left and right;
People, seeking hosts to blame
  for all their wordly oversight.

Loved ones snarled, as hearts grew cold,
  senses dulled, and smiles erased;
Jagged words in every room;
Rigid backs; cold-shoulders, braced.

Malice raging, tempers frayed,
   mouths full of impending doom
'Each man for himself', they'd cried;
Compassion, deep within its tomb.

I backed away from vicious views
   while toxic clouds hung overhead;
With stories of humanity skewed,
   I sought a way to heal instead.

I reached and grabbed a childlike hand,
   to lead her far from wrath, with haste.
To give her all the love I had
  ...lest all of it be laid to waste.

We battened hatches, bolted doors,
    this child and I, in unity;
We sought out hope and faith to keep
   ...to shield us from hostility.

Thus, time and tide, it failed to crush;
We kept each other's spirits high.
Experience and naivete
   entwined to balance hue and cry.

This tiny child, so innocent,
   brought forth her dreams for me to see;
Reflecting times of future passed...
Recalling that 'this child' ...was me.