A Small Window of Hope

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

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He lied to her when she was searching,

Entrusting vulnerability would

Leave her easy to control with blind threats

In this new, gray world of ashes and dust,

Enslaving her to his desires and tricks.

Death loomed wicked through the darkened window.

___________________________________________

She turned her head away as light shone through.

Hiding her circled eyes in the pillow.

Years had turned her tender skin dry and pale

Laying only one cherished, but haunting,

Yardstick from the warmth of the gleaming sun,

Sun? From where? How? She peeked at the window.

He must have neglected to blacken it.

Enraptured now, starting to feel bold, she

Listened to what her gut instincts said -

Overlooking such large detail meant his

Ordinary guard was down - might she be

Killed for his indiscretion? Her time was

Short. She must act thoughtfully, but quickly.

Of that, she knew with no uncertainty.

Upon her captor’s loud snore, she trembled.

Terrified, she buried her eyes again.

___________________________________________

A distant view of sunshine beckoned her.

Denied warmth, she wilted in this stark world

Yearning to feel soft grass beneath bare feet.

Sheets rumpled to a dingy gray, like concrete

Trapped her inside this deceitful prison

Of mislead persecution, he began

Planting seeds of worthlessness to grow swift

Inside her spinning head, soiled by the cold.

A quiet girl harboring fast fading dreams,

Near hopeless for survival beyond this.

The bed smelled of mothballs and ugliness.

As compared to the promise through the glass.

Looking out the window toward the bright sky,

Everything came clear in a wild heartbeat.

The outside world, unknown by his design,

Often made scary to control her through

Lies of dangers told, brimming with deceit.

Death loomed daily with the constant sunrise.

Through a dirty window streaming

Hope, floating on a beam, gave her spirits

Rise, shaking off the shadows and the lies

Of a man-made, selfish existence.

Upon his bed of rumpled sheets,

Glimpses of light harshly reminded

Her to summon the courage to find a way.

A way to escape this dirty dungeon.

With patience, she forms a plan to break out,

Insistant she will leave this lonely life.

No tarnished locks will hold her back this time.

Doors will never open to a hard knock,

Only a window shows the unmarked path,

With persistence, her focus finds a way

Out. She must follow the light of the sun.

Finding latent strength, she breaks free. Running.

Hope fills her heart with the scent of purple

On the breeze sifting gently from the edge.

Painting the sky and the trees with color,

Even the soft grass tickling her bare feet.

___________________________________________

Purposefully, she faces fears alone,

Unknown how she will progress on her own.

Running, running toward the wooded edge of

Purple, where lilacs bloom and dreams blossom.

Led by butterfly wings to the horizon’s

Ever breaking dawn. Brilliant colors hold,

Shining, healing light; energy flows through

Her tired bones, refreshing thoughts of living,

Offering a renewed destination

Without the power of ghosts and monsters.

She looks back at the tiny gray shelter,

The shattered window; fragile, dirty glass

Holding her in, now open to the world -

Early light streams in, awakening him.

Putrid grunt and submissive sigh signal

An always mean bully cloakd in weak fear

The fight of a cowardly monster lost -

He rolls over in his self-made grave.

This is a fiction story written in the format of an acrostic poem. If your read the first letter of each line vertically, it spells out a phrase related to the story. Thank you for reading! Did you enjoy this style of story-telling?