Innocence and Silences

This tender age of thirteen or fourteen,
Is completely unaware of the world's deceit.
She knows not the difference between cunning and betrayal,
She only seeks a little warmth, and a world of love to meet.
She is just a bud, still learning how to bloom,
Under the shadow of innocence, believing every face is true.
If her steps strayed unknowingly, the fault is not hers,
In this naive age, the world misjudges her anew.
When her eyes shrink in fear from the scoldings of her own,
Loneliness corners her in the quiet spaces of home.
No one understands the terror locked deep inside,
Like a lifeless shadow, she is left in the dark to roam.
Trust is lost, hopes are shattered, but let not her heart break,
She is a fragile child, do not let her from herself forsake.
She is no culprit, just tormented by circumstance's plight,
Under the watch of harshness, her screams fade out of sight.
O parents, listen closely to this call from the heart,
Do not bind the flight of her dreams with restrictions apart.
Scoldings will only widen the distance and deepen her fear,
Hold her hand, be her friend, and keep her world safe and clear.