Who Would've Guessed

That the perfect little smile on her perfect little face
had been such a deceiving, misguided lie.
That pain had burrowed so deep inside her
made her life so unbearable with that picture perfect family.
That so many lies, so many secrets, had intertwined through her years
so delicately, so finely, so intricately, hiding was all she knew.

Who would've seen the fear, the regret, in those eyes
without the night the perfect little woven world of theirs unraveled completely
from the tatters worn and torn from the years of hiding.

Who could have guessed
anything so horrible, so terrible would ever happen to the perfect little girl
from the perfect little family
who was so kind, caring, wishful, smart, beautiful.

Who would even want to, have to guess
except the neighbor next door
to the man shaped shadow in the perfect little girl's room every night
Raising fist, voice, head, hand.
And starting the unraveling of the perfect little lie,
the perfect little world,
in the perfect little town.
With sirens, flashing lights, yelling, metal,
gunshots.

Who would've ever guessed...

Reviews

[rt farris]

this is what a writer does in my opinion ..... tries as best our minds and talents and experiences will allow, to show the scarred body beneath the lovely dress. the reality of the inner life that often is in contrast to social appearances. you go after this contrast quite determinedly and with a voice that is still filled with wonder at this, one of life's "many change of directions"

[light and ashes]

I relate to this girl a lot, amazing poem

[...]

. i have scars ... invisible scars ... deep and ugly ones ... from many kinds of abuse ... but do you know what ? ... i'm okay with them now ... i think they make me a more sensitive and sensitized human ... my smile ain't great but it's real ... really real ... nonetheless, this poem is brilliantly written ... it's very vivid and poignant ... if you've written it as an observer, thank you for looking beyond the obvious ... if these words are more personal ... i wish you a triumph over the agony of the most excruciating of experiences ... because it is possible ... i am living proof of that ... i don't progress as fast as i'd like (and i'm in a bad phase these days) but i don't regress ...