Tears racing
Trying to reach
The quivering chin first.

Her eyes go glassy
As she stars at the book
She was given.

The words separate
The lines run together
Through her tears.

She sits on the cold
Examination table
The metal against her bare legs.

The nurse looks in with a
Wondering gaze
Pity in her eyes.

Two large bruises, a broken arm,
Four cracked ribs,
And a life full of pain.

She watches the little girl cry
She silently whispers something
No one can make out but sounds like, "Help me."

The nurse watches the police
They approach carefully and
Slowly pick the girl up.

A foster home,
A scary place
For any abused child.

As the police walk out,
The nurse disappears
Down the corridor.

Gold wings shining,
She lifts into the air
A guardian angel in the night.