Silent Storm: Are We Listening? Poem by Betty Jo Hilger

A single tear falls

For the child who has learned that love hurts
That when you trust, they fail
That when you hope, you fall
That when you reach out a hand,
You will be struck down
That there is no love,
after all…

A single tear falls

For the mother who hides in the night
Burying her pain in a flask
Burying her hope in the dark
Burying her children
In quicksand and stone
Locking the doors to her heart,
and to theirs…

A single tear falls

For the father who gave up on life
Who ran from his fear to commit
Who ran from the chance to nurture his son
Who chose selfish paths
Trading children for laughs
Believing that there was more fun,
all alone…

A single tear falls

For the families who choose to inherit
All the torment revisited daily
All the shame and unworth in their eyes
All the fear and regret
That they haven’t quite yet
Learned to separate truth from the lies,
as they glare…

And the tears become rain

In an effort to quench all the pain
To wash away fear and bring joy
To wash away doubt and bring refuge
To renovate hope
and refurbish the soul
In an effort to heal and renew
The chance to give love to a child…
and have it returned…