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Click hereAwake, sleeping woman, open your eyes
To what is happ'ning while you gaze away.
This circumstance can break a child. So why
Do you allow indifference to betray
The trust a vulnerable boy would give
One to whom respect ought be expected?
Naive in youth, one thinks the right to live
Should be free from this. Could he, rejected,
Thrive in such a cold and unhappy place?
Is it possible to mature alone,
To learn the ways of life without a trace
Of nurturing touch? Or do you bemoan
Your choice? Do you regret the path you chose?
This life before you sees. He feels. He knows.
This poem has been selected for listing in Wednesday's New Poems Review.<br>
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Evocative piece on what constitutes the most common form of abuse. Two comments: The poem addresses a prevalent underexposed social issue; I would have liked seeing an address to both fathers and mothers. <P>
My second comment, as most types of abuse, neglect is rarely a choice. There are myriad of circumstances surrounding it on the parent part (none is justification for the neglect of course). I appreciate shedding light on another dark corner of our lives.