She sits in silence
In her four cornered room
Her small act of defiance// in need of guidance
Trying to lull herself to sleep
By allowing fake promises about princesses and happily ever afters
Elude her from the sounds next door.

Their shouts get louder.
The sparks of clashing male dominance colliding
-Igniting
They take no heed to the thin walls
To the girl on the other side

That beautiful little girl
Who was the apple of their eye
Is now nothing more than a brat
They try to demise

Her existence is no longer recognised
That beautiful outfit she wore, but a waste
Because the promise of a Day Out With Daddy
Was once again delayed

The fighting continues
Shouts screaming
Guns blazing
And things begin to escalate
And yet this little girl
This beautiful little girl
Does nothing but rock herself away

What other choice does she have?
When daddy’s screaming
When mother is crying
When her brother is in despair
When her sister is upstairs blocking the noise
With but a pair of earphones and dark music

She is forced to retreat to the fairytale in her head
A beautiful place where everything is perfect
Magical
But even in her fantasy land
This beautiful place she created
Their screams still reach her
Poking at her sanctuary
With needles of menace
So that it’s no longer a balloon floating high in the sky
Instead it’s another deflated dream

And suddenly
With new found determination entering this little girls eyes
She wipes her pearly tears away
And she stands up, head high
She opens the door of her haven
Frees herself of the safety
And opens her front door

She lies in the front garden
The grass cushioning her small body
She smiles up at the clouds
And promises herself it’ll be alright


From up here
I smile down at her
At this beautiful little girl
With her beautiful heart
And her beautiful dress
This little girl…

… Who’s caught in an ugly, ugly, world.