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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS/CHILD ABUSE POEM
BY STACI TARGONSKY
A YOUNG GIRL WAITS FOR THE BUS TO COME. A MAN COMES WALKING UP TO HER. REMEMBERING WHAT HER PARENTS SAID ABOUT NOT TALKING TO STRANGERS SHE KEPT HER MOUTH
CLOSED AS THE MAN STOOD IN FRONT OF HER. ''HI THERE,CHILD''. THE GIRL SILENTLY PRAYED FOR THE BUS. ''WHAT'S UP,CHILD?'', THE MAN SAID. STILL SILENCE.''WELL, HAVE A GOOD DAY''. YEAH RIGHT THE GIRL SHOUTED IN HER
HEAD. FINALLY, THE BUS IS HERE, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUT OF HERE.ON THE BUS,SNEERS,AND GIGGLES FILL THE AIR. THE GIRL SITS ALONE GLAD SHE IS NOT HOME.EYES GLANCE IN HER DIRECTION, THEN TURN INTO LAUGHTER AND
TAUGHT.IN SCHOOL IT IS THE SAME WAY. NO CHANGE. TIME TO GO HOME THE GIRL GROANED. ON THE RIDE HOME FEAR FILLS HER MIND. THE NEXT DAY WHILE WAITING FOR THE BUS THAT SAME MAN CAME TO HER. ''HI,CHILD. GLAD TO SEE YOU
AGAIN!'' YEAH, RIGHT, WHO WOULD BE GLAD TO SEE ME?,SHE THOUGHT. IN HER MIND SHE WONDERED,WHO IS THIS MAN? SHE MAKES EYE CONTACT WITH HIM. EYES OF A GENTLE BROWN,HIS HAIR SHOULDER LENGTH,WELL GROOMED. THE BROWN HAIR
MATCHED HIS EYES. THERE WAS A SOFTNESS IN HIS SMILE, BUT THE GIRL STILL DID NOT TRUST HIM.HE SMILED AND TURNED AWAY, ''GOD BLESS'', HE CALLED BACK. AS THE YOUNG GIRL WATCHED HIM WALK AWAY SHE FELT BETTER. HERE IS
THE BUS. SAME AS YESTERDAY. THE NEXT DAY AGAIN THE MAN CAME. AT THE SAME TIME, AND THE GIRL OBSERVED, ALTHOUGH IT WAS VERY WINDY,HIS HAIR WAS STILL IN PLACE. ''HI!CHILD.'' THE GIRL SAID HI, NOT KNOWING WHERE SHE
FOUND THE COURAGE. HIS EYES SEEMED TO PENETRATE HER SPIRIT. THEY HAD A LIGHT TO THEM. A STRANGE, POWERFUL LIGHT. ''SO, TELL ME YOUNG ONE, HOW ARE YOU?'' ''FINE.'', THE GIRL LIED. THE MAN SEEMED TO LOOK HURT. HE SAID
''THOU SHALL NOT LIE CHILD!'' FEAR SURGED THROUGH HER,HOW DID HE KNOW I LIED? SHE WONDERED. THEN HE LEFT. AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF SMALL TALK, THE MAN ASKED THE GIRL, ''ARE YOU GOING TO THE SCHOOL TALENT SHOW?''
COMPLETELY TAKEN BY SURPRISE OF HIS KNOWLEDGE SHE SAID,''NO.'' ''WHY IS THAT?'', THE MAN ASKED SOFTLY,''DO YOU NOT THINK YOU HAVETH TALENT?'' ''UUHH, SOME'',SHE FORCED. ''TELL YOUR GRANDPARENTS TO TAKE YOU THERE AND
I WANT YOU TO ENTER.'' THEN HE WALKED AWAY. SCARED, SHE ASKED A GIRL ON THE BUS IF THE MAN WAS A PARENT OF A CHILD AT HER SCHOOL.THE GIRL ASKED,''WHAT MAN?'' THE FEARFUL GIRL SAID,''THAT MAN THAT ALWAYS WALKS AWAY
FROM ME MOMENTS BEFORE THE BUS PULLS UP.'' THE OTHER GIRL GAVE HER A STRANGE LOOK. ''YOU ARE CRAZY!GET AWAY FROM ME!'' COMPLETELY CONFUSED SHE WENT BACK TO HER LONELY SEAT. AT SCHOOL THE CHILD ENTERED THE TALENT
SHOW. SHE WENT UNDER THE CATEGORY OF POETRY. THE NEXT DAY THE MAN CAME. ''I SEE THAT YOU DID AS I ASKED''. ''YES'',SHE REPLIED. ''CAN YOU STAY WITH ME UNTIL THE BUS PULLS UP?'' ''I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOUR SIDE.'', HE
REPLIED. THE BUS CAME AND THE GIRL ASKED A BOY OF WHO WAS HONEST,''DO YOU SEE THAT MAN RIGHT THERE?'', AS SHE POINTED TO THE MAN. ''NO!, YOU REALLY ARE CRAZY!''. BAFFLED THE GIRL TURNED TO THE MAN AS HE MOUTHED GOOD
LUCK. A FEW NIGHTS LATER, THE GIRL HAD HER POEM READY TO READ. SHE WAS BACKSTAGE LOOKING AT ALL THE FACES . HER PARENTS WERE NOT THERE. OF COURSE, SHE THOUGHT AS HER HEART SANK. ''NO ONE CARES!!'' TEARS FILLED HER
EYES AS SHE SCANNED THE CROWD AGAIN. SUDDENLY SHE WIPED HER TEARS AWAY,SHOCKED SHE STARED AT THE MAN FROM HER BUS STOP. HE WAS STANDING RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE AUDITORIUM. ''OH, MY GOD!'', SHE TRIED TO BREATHE.
HER NAME WAS CALLED. SHE GOT TO THE PODIUM, FOCUSING ON THE MAN WHO SEEMED TO GIVE HER PEACE.SHE WENT ON WITH HER POEM. '' THIS POEM IS CALLED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.'' SILENCE. ''I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT AND THE WALLS
ARE THIN. YOU CAN SOMETIMES HEAR WHAT IS GOING ON WITHIN. I HEAR A DOOR CLOSE SHUT, I THEN HEAR LOUD VOICES. I HEAR A CHILD'S VOICE AND A MOTHERS VOCABULARY OF BAD CHOICE. I HEAR A SOB COME THROUGH THE WALL,GEE I
WONDER WHO. LATER THAT NIGHT, AS I TRY TO SLEEP, BUT ALL I HEAR IS A CHILD'S WEEP. PAIN SHOOTS AT MY HEART, THIS IS JUST A START. I KNOW THIS WELL BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING EVERY NIGHT, ONCE I HAVE TURNED OUT MY
LIGHT. I HEAR A WINDOW OPEN, I GO TO OPEN MINE. I HEAR THE CHILD BREATHING HEAVILY. THEN I HEAR, ''GOD PLEASE HELP ME, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN. GET ME OUT OF HERE! DON'T YOU CARE? I HAVE BEEN HIT SO MUCH AND I
AM SO, SO SAD!'' THE GIRL INTERRUPTED LISTENING TO SAY THAT ABUSE MADE HER MAD. THE CHILD CRIES A HURT HEARTBREAKING CRY FOR HELP. I THEN HEAR A DOOR, A SCREAM FROM A FURIOUS MOTHER, ''CLOSE THAT WINDOW AND GET INTO
BED OR I WILL BEAT YOU UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD!!'' THE WINDOW CLOSES. I JUST HEAR SOBS AS I LAY DOWN. MY MOM CLOSES THE DOOR WITH SUCH FORCE IT MAKES THE PLACE SHAKE. I CRY SOME MORE. I REALLY HOPE GOD HEARD EVERYTHING
BECAUSE THAT WAS ME AND THAT WAS MY PRAYER. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.'' THE GIRL HAD FINISHED HER POEM, SHE LOOKS UP. SILENCE. THEN SHE HEARS LIGHT CLAPS. HER EYES FALL UPON THE MAN.SHE IS
SURPRISED TO SEE TEARS IN HIS EYES. HE CAME UP TO HER AND SAYS,'' LET'S GET SOME AIR.'' THE GIRL LOOKED AT THE MAN, THE MAN LOOKS AT HER AND SAYS, ''YES, GOD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER AND ALL THE OTHER ONES. AND OTHER
THAN YOU, GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS WHAT GOES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, MY CHILD.'' THE GIRL GASPED AS LIGHT BEGAN TO SHINE AROUND HIM. ''MY CHILD, I AM JESUS.'' THE GIRL SOBBED AND LOOKED UP BUT THE MAN WAS GONE.
''' I AM INSIDE OF YOU.'', HE SAID. '' LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOUR SIDE.'' THE GIRL PRAISED GOD AND BEGAN TO FEEL BETTER. '' I AM GLAD GOD DOES KNOW WHAT GOES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.''
(R) 01-09-03
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