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cpgurrl
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Change
She sat huddled against the wall,
not responding to his call.
He simply looked at her,
watched this change occur,
from happy girl, erect and tall,
to scared mouse, weeping and small.
He couldn’t take it anymore;
he’d never seen her like this before.
He wanted to banish this mood he’d never seen
and bring back her sheen,
but he sat there powerless
as she turned into a mess.
Suddenly,
as he was about to flee,
there was the distinct noise
of two little boys.
He turned around, desperate for a distraction,
and saw the boys, playmates in action,
playing a clearly elaborate fantasy game
where something had been stolen, and they were deciding who to blame.
I did it, one boy said, clearly very sad
No, I did it, the other boy told him. He wanted to be bad.
At this, the man laughed nervously, despite his fears,
As she smiled through her tears.
–Elizabeth Hassler
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040720
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