The Closet

 

There is the universe.

Inside that universe is the solar system,

And in that solar system lies planet Earth.

On planet Earth, there are seven continents.

These continents house different countries.

Different states make up this one country.

And in one of these states is a town.

A very small town, where flowers dot the countryside

And houses are set up miles apart.

 

Inside one of these houses is a closet,

Which holds a little girl.

A little girl who has never seen or felt the sunlight

Kiss her skin.

A little girl who is all skin and bones,

With cracked lips and a parched throat.

A little girl with breathtaking blue eyes and raven hair.

She has never smiled before; she does not know how to.

“Please help me,” she wheezes,

Wishing desperately for someone to save her.

 

This little girl has no friends,

But instead has a little paper doll

That was given to her in a rare moment of kindness

From the adults whom she lives with.

Her paper doll is her best friend.

It has the same purple and blue imprints that she has.

Sometimes at night, if you really listen hard

You can hear the faint whispers of a child

Floating through the air as she is talking to her doll.

 

After falling asleep, she does not dream about her Prince Charming;

She does not dream about finding love.

Instead her dreams are filled with darkness.

 

During the day, the house is filled with laughter,

As the other kids talk and play;

They are oblivious to the little girl sitting in the closet, all alone,

With her eyes pressed against the crack

Trying her hardest to squint against the harsh sunlight

Hungry for the sight of other people.

 

She tries to reach to them,

Squeezing her pudgy finger through the slim crack

But jumps back, startled.

As if she was a kid caught munching on the last cookie in the jar.

 

The closet door starts to shake, as the monsters scream obscenities,

While the little girl compresses herself into the corner;

Burying her face into her doll’s hair as she sobs.

 

 Inside of this universe is a girl,

A little girl who lives in a closet

And is neglected

By the very people who are supposed to love her.