A child cries in the night
The parents just scream and fight
They used to get along
But not now, not tonight
Years go by
Still the child cries
He wants to give up his life
Instead he turns to a knife
The cut is not deep
But it breaks through the skin
The pain he can't handle
Comes from within
Not willing to give up the ones he does love
He stops for tonight
Tonight was enough
He thought it was a one time thing
Never again was the knife to touch his skin
A month goes by, and still he cries
Again he cuts, the pain subsides
His breath starts to slow
As the blood quits the flow
He didn't get any sleep that night
Never again will he pick up the knife
Two weeks pass
The scar didn't last
He's on the phone with a friend
Alone in his room
He hears a shout from his mother
His door flies open
He sees his dad, drunk again
This scene is nothing new to him
His father sees him
And comes in
Stumbling and screaming
Kicking and fighting
The child runs out the room
The scene he saw there was nothing before
His mother lay on the floor
Blood streaming from where her head tore
His father comes after him
Ready to strike
The child runs out the door
With nothing but fright
He runs and runs
His father yelling behind him
With no where to go he walks toward school
The only place that ever felt like home
It's there that he made his friends
All of them true till the end
Always there to steer him right
Always there to hold him tight
Tired from the nights events
He settles in for some rest
Against the cold floor he falls asleep
Safer there then home will ever be
Sometime in the middle of the night
He hears someone calling his name
It's her, it's his friend
The one who always comes for him
They met in kinder garden and struck a bond
Through thick and thin
They're more then just friends
There for each other till the end
She sits with him and holds him tight
Saying it'll be alright
The kind of things parents would do
The kind of parents he never knew
She brings him to her house and watches him sleep
Not a sound escapes his mouth
Knowing he'll be asleep all night
She goes to bed and turns off the light
They walk to school
Laughing as they always do
He takes her hand and holds it tight
Worried about tonight
He goes home that day
To see if his mother is okay
There she lays in bed
Drunk again
With a sigh he heads to his door
Hearing the dreaded roar
The front door swings open
Just as he locks his door
The child leans against the door
His father just bangs on it more
He ignores his fears
But down fall the tears
His father gives up
As the child drops to the floor
He grabs the knife and cuts again
As the pain slowly sinks in
The blood does not stop as easily as before
It just comes out more and more
Gasping for breath as he tries to stand
He goes to wipe the blood off his hand
He winces from the pain
As he feels the strain
He swears that's the last time he'll pick up the knife
And goes to bed for the night
School comes the next day
The child is still in pain
He walks to school, barley making a sound
Dragging his feet along the ground
He gets to school and sees this friend
He walks up to her and takes her hand
Seeing the worry in her eyes
He smiles not willing to tell lies
Not fully convinced
She still stares
And pulls him aside
Questions and worry fill her eyes
As if knowing what happened
She takes his arm and pulls up his sleeve
Seeing the scars on his arm
She understands the harm
He's desperate to hold her
To reassure her
As she does for him
But he can't find a way
Pushing back her tears
She holds him close
He wishes he could stay in this moment with her
But knows he has to go
Wishing he didn't have to do this
He takes her hands in his
Pushing back the tears in his eyes
He tells her tonight's the last night
He doesn't want to leave her
But he can't be here anymore
He sees the pain in her eyes
She knows it's not a lie
She tells him to hold on
It gets better
To keep fighting
It's not over
There'll be a day
When he'll be free
It won't hurt like this
He won't need to bleed
He won't go to a knife
He won't have to cut
His tears won't fall
And he'll be safe
Here he was with the girl he loves
He knew she'd never lie to him
She's been there through it all
And watched him as he falls
She's always the one to pick him up
He can't leave her
Not now
Not ever
He looks her in the eyes
And whispers
I'm not leaving you tonight
I'll be your side
And take your hand
We'll make it through it
Till the end
This piece is an enjoyable read with a happy ending, thank you for sharing your work with us.....may peace and joy fill your heart each and everyday... Scott
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
At this age You have shown enough talent and intelligence to express such heart throbbing piece. thanx for sharing this. Keep it up. By the way what you study? Can u mail back? pradeep5552002@yahoo.com