Alone, the tall forest, unfamiliar,
The child sleeps, drugged, abandoned,
Her newest foster mother gone, the child discarded,
The child wakes, afraid, night surrounds her,
She pushes back against a tree,
Cold, her only comfort a picnic blanket,
Her body in shock, she tires, her eyelids heavy,
In the distance, a lone creature lopes
Seeking to satisfy his hunger for the night,
His nostrils flare, an unfamiliar scent in the air,
Predatory he changes direction, seeking,
The child sleeps, unaware danger is near,
He finds her there, easily, the blanket
Little refuge in the cold night, he sniffs
She smells of innocence, tender youth and
Fear, yes, even in her dreams she is afraid,
His lips curl, what savagery, a child left alone,
He is hungry, he must hunt but her breath fogs the air,
His coat thick, warm, he lies beside her, close,
In her rest she draws his warmth, thin arms wrap
Her body closer, in her mind she sees her teddy bear
The one forgotten, left behind,
The morning comes, she wakes, alone
Her teddy bear gone, never there,
Her guardian angel disappears
Through thick brush, in search of food,
A voice, melodious and strong breaks
Through the crisp morning air,
The girl rises, hunger overrides her fear,
“Hello,” she calls, her voice loud in the forest hush,
The singing stops, “Hello?” She cries again,
Panic, Are they gone? Is she alone?
“Hello,” the voice answers, a tall figure
Walks in bright sunlight, around a far tree,
A woman, beautiful, her eyes friendly
Her words of concern and comfort,
“Child, are you alone?”
The child’s tears fall, unabated,
Within the woman’s warm cloak, she nuzzles
The woman carries her along a well worn path,
Deep in the forest, in a hearth a fire blazes,
The child wrapped in blankets lies upon a bed,
She sleeps safe in the woman’s watchful care,
The two will be become one, a family,
Outside a furry protector stands guard,
Ever mindful of the two harbored there.
