The news of the abuse of this child was alarming. The lack of human intelligence and compassion seemingly absent from her mother and all others who lived in the same apartment, pitiful. This girl who was kept in a closet, just one third of her body weight, who was made to live locked up, forced to urinate in the closet, lost the will to survive authorities said.
The girl had marks on her back from her mothers beatings. She was beaten when she urinated, her only human contact. After the shock of this news, and when the sadness subsided in my gut, I wondered if this child urinated to receive the beating, human touch, seemingly the only touch she received. Can we survive alone and without touch? Stats say no.

I have weathered the agonizing storm through
its toll on me, serious
i am not the same, no
i walk with less knowledge
pain of all kinds, schhhh...
most do not notice
in my brain, noah and the flood
i would be on the ark
sail forward
less enthusiastic than before the storm
yet forward
they have said i was as a beautiful flower
not the garden variety
extraordinary roots
color
lasting
now needing a lake of water
heavy continuous fertilizing
sunshine as after a spring rain
laughter in my ears and heart
through faith, i have weathered
weathering forward
still
too many others much worse
my greatest joy is in loving and helping others