In the Shadows

She stood on the edge of the cliff,

Her bones snapping at every move,

Bruises littered her fragile body.

She was a no one,

She was useless.

She stepped off the cliff,

For she was in the shadows.

He felt his arms,

Littered with scars.

They were his own artwork,

But not his own fault.

He felt the wounds on his body.

He didn’t dare flinch,

For he was in the shadows.

They cower in closets,

Quivering with fear,

Coughing up blood,

While clutching their broken bones.

Tears fall silently down their tortured bodies,

If only they had spoken up,

For they were in the shadows.

Banish the shadows,

Free them from the abuse,

For they are only children,

And children don’t deserve such treatment.

One word can save lives.

STOP