this a blank document an image
this as simple as a single color
this which stays in the eye behind the eye
this a girl on her back on a bed
this her father’s or her mother’s white-sheeted bed
this her eyes an unknown color
this her age perhaps seven summers
this she is not alone but all the same
this her mouth twisting open a cry
this crying pain and worse the light
this her head turned to one side
this her arms twisting to cover her eyes
this his legs and that portion of himself
this the cover your eyes so daddy can take
this the image of the trapped girl-child
this her eyes an unknown color
this they are closed tightly closed tightly
(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)