A Whisper

when she was just a whisper in the womb she could hear her mother screaming

screams that would echo forever within her soul

those sounds that sometimes even fought

their way past the thin line of her small mouth

child-lips held determinedly closed beneath

sad brown eyes that saw sights no child should see

fearful of all those around her

her little voice spoke empty words to justify the sorrow

and those eyes yearned to soften their focus and carry her away from fear

at least for awhile

now at night all these years later she sees what was once a blur

through tears that have waited years to make the journey

down the face of a woman-child to whom innocence

could never be more than lines on a page or a word that once

hung briefly in the cold night air.

Tags: Poetry