Child Abuse From The Child's Point Of View

©LaDena Campbell aka justateacher

Every day I come to school

The bruises I try to hide

I can’t even remember

All the times I have lied

To try to protect my parents

Those who did this all to me

They are all the family I have

This is just the way life has to be

Sometimes when I come to school

I can’t wait for the breakfast and lunch to eat

It is one of the things that help me

I cannot admit to defeat

One day my teachers asked me

About the bruises up and down my arm

They asked me if my parents

Were the ones who did me harm

I had to think fast that day

Had to make sure to say the right thing

One wrong word would do more harm

I had to be careful not to “sing”

I looked up at my teacher

Thought of the lies I had told before

Tried to think of just the right words

To keep the authorities from coming through our door

I told the teacher the bruises

Had come from me playing rough with the kids

I had to be very careful to keep my sleeves down

To make sure the other bruises stayed well hid

Somehow this teacher saw through

All of the stories I had to tell

She called the authorities anyway

And rescued me from my personal hell…