For The Children We Ignored

I am that little boy

hiding behind the woodpile

with his dog,  crying.

I am that little girl

in front of the mirror

with her doll, broken.

We are the children

who only wanted

to be loved, but weren’t.

We played superheroes

so no one would harm us

except you, and you did.

We wanted to be cared for

maybe loved

but never ignored, which you did.

We learned to “be seen and not heard”

and are that still

because we don’t know how to love.

A smile, a hug

maybe “I love you”

would have helped the child

you didn’t see.