Slipping Through the Cracks
Do you ever think about all the kids out there that have slipped through the cracks? Ever since I started writing my book, A House Made of Bricks, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.
I recently wrote a blog about one of the main characters, Eliza, who is trying to live life without anxiety. But it’s the other main character, Miller, who really tore at my heartstrings.
His story reminded me that there’s a whole world out there we don’t see. Kids with absent or abusive parents, kids who struggle with depression or other mental illnesses, kids who age out of the foster care system, runaways…
How many kids out there feel completely alone? How many adults with lifelong struggles were victims of their circumstances as children?
My hope is that we find a way for every child to feel safe.
I wanted to write about what it must be like to feel alone…but also how it feels to have hope. I wrote the following with that in mind.
Once upon a time, you slipped through cracks.
Held down.
Held back.
You lived unloved…
It’s cold at night, the darkness falls. You wait for light…it never comes.
A world alone.
The pain has numbed, the fear is gone. The less you feel, the more you go on.
But nothing feels a lot like pain. You wait for sleep then count the days.
The time stands still.
Left before.
Left behind.
A life unknown.
A soul that’s lost, but no one finds. You remembered it once, but it’s long since gone.
Now the emptiness feels a lot like pain. You mask the hole then look for ways
To pretend to feel.
Others shuffle through their day
They live
They laugh
Their lives unscarred.
They all have dreams, but yours are marred. You lie awake and count the stars.
The one reminder you’re not alone. They take the place of a life, a home.
You wait for night.
Forgotten.
Forgone.
Days undefined.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, you reached out your hand.
Fingers grasp.
They help you stand.
Unshackle the past.
A life unchained.
You are more.
Your life is named.
It’s warm inside, the darkness falls. You wait for light…it filters in.
A world with hope.
The pain is real, the fear remains, but the more you feel, the less the pain.
You feel the hurt, but slowly heal. A chance to sleep, a chance to feel.
The time creeps by.
Left before.
That life behind.
The bind renewed.
Your soul,you find. It hurts at first, but you give it time. Until the empty hole is filled with breath. A life.
You wait for night. And count the stars. A reminder that you’re not alone, that you are loved, you have a home.
Your life defined.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time you had a past.
But you are loved, the feeling lasts.
And you are more.
A life unbroken.
A life that’s yours.
You are more.
What can we do to help keep kids from slipping through the cracks?
