Innocence Lost

A tender tendril groping for support,

Clinging and climbing but not quite

leaving the earth

divine angels above showered  blessings

as she took birth.

Innocence, trust and wonder

in those large round eyes

shone like diamonds far beyond

any wealth or price.

Cooing, gurgling and often crying

she made sure she got

all attention worth trying.

 

And then all this started changing

slowly, very slowly the world touched her.

Kisses, caresses, cuddles changed meaning.

Groping and pawing she could not decipher,

parents, siblings, friends and folks

rarely sincere mostly feigning

ideas, orders, comments and jokes,

sugar-coated poisons when they spoke.

Voices, eyes, hands no longer good in feel--

some would hurt, and others

that were downright heel.

Suppressed anger, dirty feelings and the shame

made her feel guilty and full of blame.

She cocooned herself from the world around

yet looking for support

that was nowhere to be found.

Not mother, father, any could give

the support she needed now to live.

The tender tendril slowly hardened up

and turned to thorny callous stuff.

Those wondrously luminous, innocent eyes

started looking down,

dark and brooding, in denial

she now spoke with a frown.

The art of lying slowly poisoned her tongue

as she started looking

older than a child that young.

Her wealth of innocence by strangers plundered,

and near ones also each tearing asunder

the faith and love

she hungered for

and wanted to give,

with nobody caring

how she loved or lived.

Her innocence lost,

through what she’d heard, felt and been--

life became a nightmare

no child should ever have seen.