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Jessie is already
two but has few words,
something
is blocking her throat
except at night
when she screams against
bedtime,
her mother tells me. Nightmares terrorize Jessie's dark,
she
only sleeps
if Mommy lies beside her,
What could she be afraid of?
The child protection people tell me
they
need evidence
before they can investigate,
they need disclosures
witnesses
medical signs
he does not meet my eyes,
he clutches her
hand
as tears flow mute
down her face,
she leaves
wordless with him,
his body towering beside her
as they walk down my
lane
out of view
Marion Van den Boomen
London,
Ontario |