She Learns To Survive
by Michael Doyle

To her, I'm her father
As I watch my daughter
Walking alone in the night
She's always been my light

But it wasn't always this way
She's haunted by the day
These moments hidden inside
Behind her fragile pride

He took her innocence
I've seen it in her eyes
The feeling is so intense
I've felt her agonize

She hides it inside
Because she's afraid to confide
All those times that she's cried
Alone in her heart wish she could hide

She almost took her life that night
Feeling abandoned and in total fright
Fighting the torment  inside her head
And.. I held her hand in mine to fight off her dread

She didn't need to talk, I understood
As maybe only a loving father could
Step[-by-step, she's to walk in life again
I walk beside her and hold her when...

She remembers how he took her innocence
The look on her face is scared and intense
I see the meaning in her beautiful sad eyes
As she tries to be brave though she agonizes

Only in these past few years
I've seen her blossom despite her tears
Feeling she's worthy of love and she knows
I smile softly as she steps forward to grow

Even in the darkest depth of night
She knows she's a child of the light
I watch as the strength returns and her life unfolds
I tell her I that I love her; she knows before she's told

The light in the end still holds her innocence
She has moved past his intended offense
And I see new meaning in her powerful eyes
As her walk becomes bolder and the past looses its ties

(c) February 19, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved