Aberration

Lives twisted
tied in a knot
not the straight line
promised
innocence abbreviated
contracted
taut and terse
worse than a bed
of bamboo shoots

instead a mattress
visited by scores
of malignant abusers
poking and probing
each insertion
tearing one more hole
in the fabric of hope
once held

a security blanket
desperately clung to
but piece by piece
reduced to sodden strings
until it can no longer
absorb the tears you cry
or shield your eyes
clenched tightly shut
to avoid the nightmare
now lived