Poem against child abuse - very sad

>"Sarah"
>
>My name is Sarah
>
>I am but three,
>
>My eyes are swollen
>I cannot see,
>I must be stupid
>I must be bad,
>What else could have made
>My daddy so mad?
>I wish I were better
>I wish I weren't ugly,
>Then maybe my mommy
>Would still want to hug me.
>I can't speak at all
>I can't do a wrong
>Or else I'm locked up
>All the day long.
>When I awake I'm all alone
>The house is dark
>My folks aren't home
>When my mommy does come
>I'll try and be nice,
>So maybe I'll get just
>One whipping tonight.
>Don't make a sound!
>I just heard a car
>My daddy is back
>From Charlie's Bar.
>I hear him curse
>My name he calls
>I press myself
>Against the wall
>I try and hide
>From his evil eyes
>I'm so afraid now
>I'm starting to cry
>He finds me weeping
>He shouts ugly words,
>He says its my fault
>That he suffers at work.
>He slaps me and hits me
>And yells at me more,
>I finally get free
>And I run for the door.
>He's already locked it
>And I start to bawl,
>He takes me and throws me
>Against the hard wall.
>I fall to the floor
>With my bones nearly broken,
>And my daddy continues
>With more bad words spoken.
>"I'm sorry!", I scream
>But its now much too late
>His face has been twisted
>Into unimaginable hate
>The hurt and the pain
>Again and again
>Oh please God, have mercy!
>Oh please let it end!
>And he finally stops
>And heads for the door,
>While I lay there motionless
>Sprawled on the floor
>My name is Sarah
>And I am but three,
>Tonight my daddy
>Murdered me.
>There are thousands of kids out there just like Sarah. And you can help.
>*Please pass this poem on because as crazy as it
>might sound, it might just
>indirectly change a life. Hey, you NEVER know.
>PLEASE forward
>if YOU are against CHILD ABUSE

Wow, that's powerful stuff.

There's been so much tragedy like this. Here, there is story very similar to this poem. The big difference is that Tanner was only 8 weeks old. He was brought into a medical center with broken legs, broken arms, broken ribs, what appeared to be cigarette burns on his feet and head, and massive head trauma. He was taken off life support by his grandparents, who had contacted social services before he was even born to try to get help for this little angel. They knew then that his parents couldn't take care of him and that his father had serious anger issues. Now father is charged with numerous counts, including 1st degree murder, and mother is charged with lesser offenses, but could still get 48 years in prison.

Even though the poem is probably fiction, it could be a true story. It happens. Even once is too much.

Oh my this is so sad. I look at my children and I wonder how anyone could hurt any child. My kids are so loving but they do drive me nuts. I could never raise my hand to them. It makes you wonder how someone could do this to a child.

Thou shalt not kill
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not take the lord's name in vain
Thou shalt not cause thy children pain
God does not overlook it! child abuse

I have read that before and it makes me cry. abuse is bad and some
children are trapped in homes with controlling parents who hurt them and have no way out. It's so sad. If you ever witness child abuse or any abuse for that matter REPORT it!

I have seen this poem before too and it made me cry as well. It brought to mind a song by my absolute favorite band of all time.....10.000 Maniacs. Natalie Merchant was/is such a prolific songwriter. They were known for songs that had catchy, happy music with deep, serious lyrics....very socially conscious lyrics. The Emily Bronte of pop music she was called. Anyway, they have a song on their 1987 release In My Tribe called What's The Matter Here. The lyrics were written about a young boy who actually lived in her hometown and she witnessed the abuse. Here are the lyrics....

What's The Matter Here?

That young boy without a name
Anywhere I'd know his face
In this city
The kid's my favorite
I've seen him seen him
I see him every day
Seen him run outside
Looking for a place to hide
From his father
The kid half naked
And said to myself
"O, what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses
He's their kid
I stay out of it
But who gave you the right to do this?

We live on Morgan Street
Just ten feet between
And his mother
I never see her
But her screams and cussing
I hear them every day
Threats like: "If you don't mind
I will beat on your behind,"
"Slap you, slap you silly"
Made me say,
"O what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses
He's your kid
Do as you see fit
But get this through that I don't approve
Of what you did to your own flesh and blood

"If you don't sit in your chair straight
I'll take this belt from around my waist
And don't you think that I won't use it!"

Answer me and take your time
What could be the awful crime
He could do at so young an age?
If I'm the only witness to your madness
Offer me some words to balance out
What I see and what I hear
All these cold and rude things that you do
I suppose you do because he belongs to you
And instead of love,
The feel of warmth
You've given him these cuts and sores
That don't heal with time or with age

I want to say
"What's the matter here?"
But I don't dare say

Here is a link to hear the song. It is track #1. If you don't already have it, downloading the player is easy and free. If you don't have the player, you will be prompted to download it when you click on the play button next to the track. After the file is downloaded, just double click it and follow the on-screen instructions.

http://www.rhapsody.com/10000maniacs/inmytribe

I've read the first one in an e-mail a while back. That's really sad..

I've read that before too. It's sooooo sad!!

That's so sad. I don't know how anyone could hurt a child or another human being! Not to mention all the crazies out there that abuse animals!