Little girl
Why do you cry?
Is it the thundering storm outside your boarded up window?
Is it the lingering chill you feel without a blanket to cover you?

Little girl
I know you’re scared.
Mommy brought home another bad man.
Another man who hurt you in many ways.
You lie in your bed, cold, naked, and alone.
What did you do to deserve this?

Little girl
Did you do something wrong?
Did you make too much noise in the silence?
Did Mommy take her angry shot?
Does Mommy hate you?

Little girl
Please don’t cry.
You are loved by me,
I am you, but in another time.

Little girl
I remember the cold nights.
I remember the hunger.
I remember the fear.
I remember how much you hurt.
How much we hurt.

Little girl
I love you.
I’ve always loved you.
I’ve loved you since we were born.

Little girl
The life you’re in is hard.
It’s scary, lonesome, painful.
Nobody can help you escape just yet.
The time will come, I promise.

Little girl
You are so much braver than you know.
You are so delicate and imaginative.
You feel and give with everything you have,
Even when you have nothing.

Little girl
I love how strong you are.
I love how you smile at the sun through the cracks of your boarded window.
I love how you dream of running in the warm summer light.
I love how you laugh.
I love how you cry.
I love you, even with the bruises and scars you have all over your small pale body.

Little girl
I love you.
Because you made me stronger.