Relinquish

That moment you see her.

A little girl standing

on the dusty, dirt road.

She's dirty.

She's alone.

She is lost.

In the middle of the desert.

Desolate.

Then she looks up at you.

In her eyes you see.

The questions.

The wondering.

The fear.

Her eyes are huge

Like saucers.

And bright blue.

And intense.

There is dirt under her fingernails.

And all over her tear stained cheeks.

Her little legs are smeared with dirt.

Her little dress is tattered and worn.

And so dirty, it looks gray.

She has no shoes.

And her feet are black

from being dirty for so long.

And her belly is distended

She has no food.

Her little arms are bony,

like sticks.

Her hair is a mess.

And you can't tell what color it is

from all the matted dirty messiness.

Like a birds nest in the mud.

How could this happen?

Who could do this?

Where are her parents?

Why?

Always the question,

why.

You reach out to her.

But you cannot touch her.

No matter what you do,

You cannot reach her.

She is untouchable.

Like running down a long hallway

that never ends.

The closer you get

the farther away she becomes.

And it leaves you

feeling helpless.

And then you do that thing

that makes it easier.

You close your eyes

And you pretend.

You pretend she isn't really there

in that place.

You pretend she is clothed

and fed.

You pretend people are there

to love her.

You pretend she is happy,

healthy,

and most importantly

normal.

You can see it in your mind.

The beautiful golden locks

flowing around her smiling face.

Good parents are there

to hold her and care for her

like its supposed to be.

She is covered

with lace and love.

She picks flowers for you

and you love her.

You can touch her

and be kind to her.

You can watch her grow

to the beautiful strong woman

she was made to be.

You can see her full of life

with a fulfilled life.

She is a mother, a wife,

a daughter, and a friend.

She has all that life can offer

and so much more.

But then you open your eyes.

And she is none of that.

She is still on that road

Still abandoned.

Still filthy.

She cries, softly

in the night.

It plagues your thoughts.

You try to make sense of it.

It goes round and round

only to come back to the same

unanswered questions.

And it kills you.

Why can't I save her?

Then a young man comes along.

He talks to her,

and then talks to her some more.

They go on walks

and he finds himself to love her.

You think for a moment;

this must be the answer.

But as time goes by,

she is still dirty,

still hungry,

still afraid.

Why can't he help her?

And then

He abandons her.

Time moves on.

Another year passes

and then another.

More come in and out of her life.

She is still there,

and nothing changes.

You start to get angry.

At her.

At yourself.

At everyone.

You feel exhausted.

You stop looking at her.

You stop visiting her.

You stop thinking about her.

You abandon her.

Just like everyone else.

Just like everyone will.

Because you can't save her.

No one can.