little child sitting on the stairs
late late at night
looking through the gap under the door
watching feet pass back and forth
never knowing how they knew
she was watching
or why they made her stand
at the door in the cold
they are coming for you
  
little child in a nightgown
that bore the words Hug Me
in big red letters
used to hug her parents
every single night
till she decided
they didn’t deserve it