Compassion

A poem about a winged girl and human nature. Written for a contest some time ago and got me into the second round

The girl sheltered her head

As rocks pelted her

She cowered behind the steel bars

Though they offered her no protection

And kept her confined

Unable to escape

Every area of her body burned in pain

Blood pooled from the wounds

Dripping down her dirty body

And collecting in a pool at her feet

Joining the dried blood from earlier beatings

The girl didn't understand

Why were they hitting her?

Why was she trapped here?

She had never done anything wrong

She hadn't done anything to them

So they did they hurt her?

At first when she had arrived here

She had been welcomed

Mistaken for an angel

Because of her pure white wings

They had worshiped her

Treated her like a goddess

The girl didn't know why they acted like that

But she went along with it anyway

It felt good to be treated like that

Adults bowed to her

Children dared each other to touch her

And smiled when she smiled at them

She was kept fed

Given only the best the town had to offer

She was waited on hand and foot

She thought it was unnecessary at first

But the pleasure of it was addicting

She never wanted it to stop

But then one day

Several townspeople fell ill

And died within just a few days

They blamed it on her

Called her a demon

And locked her up

Ever since then

She had been put on display

In a cage in the middle of town

A space barely big enough for her to sit in

Caged like a bird

Kept enclosed like a pet

But pets had far better treatment

The girl was fed scraps of food

And sometimes went days without any

Her oily hair hung in her face

Her clothes were soiled and tattered

Her wings hung limply at her side

But that wasn't enough for the people

Even after the girl had been locked up

People had kept falling ill

In anger they'd pick up nearby rocks

And start pounding her with them

Not stopping even when they drew blood

No one knew who started it

But they all eventually joined in

Soon it seemed less like a punishment

And more like for enjoyment

Though they said they were innocent beings

They enjoyed mercilessly beating her

The adults who had once worshiped her

Now beat her mercilessly

Sinister faces looked down on her from all sides

The children who had tried to touch her

Picked up stones like their parents

And threw them without knowing why

By the time they stopped throwing rocks

The girl had long lost her consciousness

And blood puddled in her cage

While her wings had been stained scarlet

Like the demon they thought she was

Her spirit long broken

But still people died

Cries of anguish could be heard every day

As friends and family

Died right before their eyes

They knew they were cursed

And so they continued to beat the winged girl

Then one day

As storm clouds hung heavy overhead

The girl realized the town was quiet

All sounds had ceased

And not a soul was in sight

The girl was alone

As the girl sat silently in her cage

Not daring to make a noise

She heard footsteps behind her

She turned to look

Splashing in half dried puddles of blood as she did so

And she saw two children approaching

A girl and a boy

They supported each other as they walked

Sadness shone in their dull eyes

As tears streamed down their faces

They stopped in front of the cage

As the winged girl waited in tense silence

Suddenly the boy's head whipped up

“Give me back my parents you freak”

The boy cried out in sadness and anger

“You killed them

How dare you kill them

Give them Back”

But the girl could do no such thing

The boy picked up a large rock

And threw it as hard as he could

Screaming in frustration

The rock struck the girl in the head

But still she sat there silently

The boy continued to throw rocks at her

As his sister sat weeping near him

But suddenly she began to cough violently

And the boy quickly stopped throwing rocks

So he could run to her side

And held the sick girl in his arms

The boy turned back to the winged girl in the cage

Sitting silently with her head down

Somehow that only made him angrier

As he clutched his sister in his arms

After everything that had happened

The winged girl never said anything

“Why did you do it?”

The sudden question made her lift her head

“Why did you kill the village?

Why did you kill my parents?

The town had never done anything”

The boy's face with streaked with angry tears

The girl felt a stir in her heart

He was just like her

Asking the same kind of questions

She had once asked herself

She felt horrible though she hadn't done anything

“I'm sorry”

The boy nearly jumped at her words

The girl who had taken everything

Who had stolen his parents

Had told him that she was sorry

He jumped at her and grabbed her through the bars

His fingers gripping her tightly

He shook the girl harshly

“You're sorry?

You're sorry?

After everything you've done to us

You're sorry?”

The boy cried out in anger

Tears broke from his eyes anew

Hatred for the winged girl burned in his heart

As he continued to shake her violently

But she didn't say anything more

And didn't struggle in his grip

Allowing him to continue

But as he shook her

Their eyes suddenly met

His angry eyes filled with tears

Met with the dull eyes of her

Eyes that had long since lost their spirit

It filled him with disgust

He let go of the girl

And she fell to the stained floor

The girl didn't dare look up

But a new noise made her lift her head

A clicking sound that she'd never thought she'd hear

And a creaking sound she thought impossible

The door opened before her stunned eyes

As the boy stood in front of her

But after a moment he stepped away

“Go” he said

The girl hesitated as she watched him

“I said get out of here”

The girl stood up carefully

Nearly falling back down immediately

Her legs cried out from the sudden use

As she stumbled to the edge of the cage

She checked quickly to make sure he wouldn't stop her

And swiftly took flight before he changed his mind

The boy collapsed to the ground

He didn't know why he had let her go

He held his head in his hands

New tears streaming from his eyes

Though he had vowed to get revenge

He had failed to beat the demon

Then a light in the sky caught his eye

He looked up to see what it was

And saw a glittering feather falling through the air

He lifted up his hands

Letting it fall into his grasp

It was a pure white feather

As if on queue

The sun finally burst through the cloudy sky

And its rays shined upon the feather

Making it appear to be glowing

He stared wonderingly at the feather

Until someone grabbed him

His sister had finally reawakened

Looking as if she had never been sick

He pulled the girl into a tight hug

His tears threatened to fall again as he met her gaze

Her eyes gleamed as she looked back at him

And he felt his heart grow light like the feather in his hand

Reviews

[El Chico]

Great story/poem, good use of words, thanks for sharing it