Dark Corner Child

My heart has beaten and pumped

a thousand times or more

forty years and counting

since I started to explore.

The colors, fantastic

the sounds brought glee

joy in all the simple things

that surrounded tiny me. 

Then a darkness fell

I don't recall the day

that the light was put out

and colors turned to gray.

My spirit torn out

thrown away in the corner

from laughter to nothing

from happy to mourner.

I was too little

I didn't understand

who took away the sunshine

who let go of my hand. 

I thought if I waited

the light would come back on

and my soul would be restored

and this child could move on

But the world just kept on turning

and my body it grew up

but no one picked up my spirit

that one day I threw up. 

She lay there in the corner

scared to move, afraid to say

"did you forget me down here?

why'd you leave me this way?"

She was dirty, she was bleeding

tears streaked her tiny face

left behind decades ago

she knew nothing but this place. 

I wondered if I should touch her

she shivered so in fear

I didn't know if she was afraid to stay

or afraid to leave from here. 

So I sat down beside her

looked to where she seemed to stare

and all I could tell her was

"I'm not going anywhere".