Whether she was conceived in love,
or not.
Under the cover of darkness,
or in the light.
Born into untainted innocence,
she still shines.
Like diamonds in the sky.
A candle lit for all to see,
lighting a path for others into tomorrow.
She grows more beautiful,
as times slowly goes by.
The world is full of adventure to explore,
and the innocence remains.
But sinister evil lurks,
behind lurid smiles.
Hiding dark thoughts and twisted desires.
They seek to take what is not theirs,
a gift that was hers only to one day freely give.
The winds howl and thunder rolls,
as she screams, “NO!â€
Through the pounding beats of her shattered heart.
Within her mind he will now forever reside,
banging a drum for all time.
He took from her only what he desired.
Using and abusing he carelessly left behind
only a scarred shell.
The dark velvet of trickery and deceit,
silenced her screams.
He easily snuffed out her candle’s flame,
in a moment of his twisted glee.
Is she forever lost and fallen,
an angel with no wings.
For somewhere deep within she hides
from so many other things.
Her heart has melted into a pool,
like a candles puddled wax.
He took something she can never get back.
My father’s heart breaks as I look into her eyes.
The pain, the sorrow, where the only the haunting,
now resides.
To protect at all costs and shield her from the
misery and pain is my mission.
I will kill and destroy those who come,
to take from her only what they desire.
These are the hard hands that softly picked her up
when she fell.
These same hands that gently cradled her
to ease her pain.
Comes a reckoning with these same
hard hands, and you only have yourself to blame.
~Mark Schutter ©2014
This poem was written in response to the prompt to write About the Social Change You Want to See posted by Tamara Woods on The Reverie, a poetic publication journal. Whether it is child sex trafficking, child sexual abuse or rape; as a father and a man it sickens my stomach. This is pure evil that perverts what is pure for its own twisted desires. It exists in the world and it is up to us to be vigilant and to do what we can to protect and help the innocent.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing.
~Edmund Burke
~Edmund Burke
Amazing Mark… my heart stopped… feeling every emotion and remembering.
Thank you my love!
Amazing words Mark! God bless you for taking the time to write this poem.
Thank you Elaine! This one came from the heart.
This made my stomach lurch. As a parent, hell, as a woman, I understand these fears all too well. Very well done. Thank you for joining in with us on The Reverie.
Thank you Laura! I look forward to reading the other contributions and sharing with everyone. This poem came from my heart and is very personal!
This is an amazing poem! It captures the evil side of a society in a different perspective. I would really appreciate it if you could check some of my poems too 🙂
Thank you so much. I believe there is evil whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. We must be vigilant. I will definitely check out your poems. Thanks for commenting.
It breaks our heart, well written poetry….
Thank you! Breaks my heart also.
Wonderful Mark. My husband just released his second feature-length film to combat the issue of prostitution and sex-tourism. Being that we live in Brazil, it is huge right now with the World Cup just passing and the Olympics coming up. It isn’t about children, but sex trafficking is a huge issue, especially for girls and women.
Great job.
🙂
Thank you! We all must do what we can. I will keep you and your family’s efforts in my prayers.
Thanks Mark.
🙂
This one hit really close to home. Well written Mark. Sadly, there are many daddies who inflict the pain on their innocent little girls, and instead of protecting them from the dangerous world, they’re the ones bringing the pain to their children. God bless you for being one of the good daddies!
Cheryl
Thank you for your kind words Cheryl. With God’s help, I do the best I can! 🙂
My hands are shaking as I type. This is the most insightful poem in reference I have read. My body is full of goose bumps. Mark…your amazing.
Thank you Mary! I felt the same way even as the words poured out of me. This was definitely God inspired.
That is a horrible memory to live with, sorry. There are things we can and must do to protect children. Thanks for stopping by.