Maria was raped 48 hours ago today
We found this out the hard way
You see, Maria is five years,
10 months and 18 days old
She’s less than a metre tall
Barely reaches my hip
Her corn-rowed head is bowed
As her gaze fixes on my knee
For 48 hours Maria didn’t speak
She didn’t eat
Maria didn’t play
Didn’t want to leave her bed
Today Maria is on her feet
We watch as she struggles to walk straight
She fights to carry her normal gait
Fights to hide the wince of pain
Fights to be a child again
Turns out Maria was raped by her father
On Monday before the sun quite went down
Rudely pulled atop him with all his might
Threatened to a whimpering silence
Her innocence plundered, tattered and forever scarred
As tear-filled eyes stared back without fight
Maria was raped by an economic system
that keeps her in a one-room house
She was raped by a President
Who does nothing to improve her life
Maria was raped by an MP
Who year after year spews out useless words
Deafens us with empty promises
She was raped by those among us
Who dare not speak out
Who bury their anger in silence
Her father’s guilty as sin
Without doubt his act of unabated greed
Was full of shame
He must carry his own cross
Pay for this disgusting thing
But the system must pay too
And all who choose to turn a blind eye
For he should not bear the punishment alone
PoP © 2nd April 07
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2 comments:
This poem does an excellent job of telling truths that are obviously ignored. I can see the pain, the suffering - something that the world tends to NOT notice as we all sit in our comfortable houses thousands of miles across the oceans.
Thank you Debbie. I hope it reaches many. The girl is continuing to heal.
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