The Noises Down the Hall
Little 8-year-old Bobby just laid down his head
Little 8-year-old Bobby had just gone to bed
Not early, not late, it was the same time each night
When the clock chimed 8 times, then out went the light
But on this one night, although beginning the same
Was different than most because sleep never came
Little 8-year-old Bobby tried all that he knew
Little 8-year-old Bobby didn’t know what to do
A warm glass of milk and then counting some sheep
But still little Bobby could not get to sleep
And then something happened that changed his whole night,
He heard a faint noise that didn’t sound really right
It started out quiet but turned to a shout
Then there were smacks and slaps all about
A loud whimper there, a pause, then a moan
And all of a sudden there was a loud single groan
Then all became quiet, not even a creak
Little Bobby alone felt frightened and weak
Then the sounds came again, more intense than before
Bobby summoned his courage and will in his core
And he tiptoed quite silently right up to his door
He tiptoed on carpet, then a hard wooden floor
He tiptoed with grace and speed down the hall
He tiptoed so quiet you couldn’t hear him at all
He stopped at a door, heard a slap and a scream
Little 8-year-old Bobby knew this wasn’t a dream
His Mom just got spanked is all that he knew
A plan formed in his head and he knew what to do
He opened the door and was looking to fight
He opened the door and he turned on the light
Little 8-year-old Bobby was sorry he came
Little 8-year-old Bobby was never the same.
The Garbage Others Threw Away
Lee he was the youngest of a family made of six
Two brothers and one sister, a fairly normal mix
Donald was the oldest, then Mark, and Anne Marie
They all had special talents, that is except for Lee
Donald could run the fastest and excel at any game
For Mark it was the artistic route that was calling out his name
Anne Marie could sing the sweetest sounds of any song
And Lee could only wonder where his genes had just gone wrong
He tried to find a talent every place and everywhere
He failed at every sport and game, but yet did not despair
He failed at art and music, he failed at math in school
He failed at making friends at jokes, he couldn’t dive in any pool
He failed at even simple things that anyone could do
He failed at things like dot-to-dots or tying up his shoe
But Lee was not discouraged, hope is all that he could see
Everybody had a talent in his family
So Lee just kept on searching with hope leading the way
Until he overheard his answer on a terrible fateful day
His parents were outside strolling and having a tiny little chat
His mother said that “he’ll find something he’s halfway decent at”
To which his father laughed out loud and turned to her and said
“Yes, that’s true if he were ours but Lee is just adopted
He’s the garbage others threw away and now I can see why”
Lee not only turned away but he began to cry
An emptiness was all that’s left where hope had once been found
No talent lied within himself, it was stamped into the ground
The words were etched into his mind “the garbage others threw away”
And Lee would not have hope again after this fateful day.
God’s Orders
Early Sunday morning, around the time of eight
Little Jacob made a choice that surely sealed his fate
He changed into his Sunday garb and got ready for this day
He said “I want to be an altar boy, I want to learn today”
“We’ll sign you up at church today” his father proudly said
His mother simply smiled with pride and put her hand upon his head
So after church young Jacob went up to Father Dan
He said “I want to be an altar boy, I am a holy man”
Father Dan he looked him up and down, a smile upon his face
“God has done fine work” he laughed “to bring you unto this place
“But first you must go pray to God, you cannot start today
“I’ll teach you and you’ll start next week, that is if it’s ok”
Jacob only nodded and quickly turned to go
And Father Dan’s robe in places suddenly seemed to grow
So Jacob for the next two days prayed with all his might
He prayed at dawn, he prayed at lunch, he prayed right through the night
He prayed while he was eating, he prayed instead of played
He prayed to be the greatest altar boy that’s ever made
So when the time was finally right for Jacob to be trained
He passed with flying colors and altar boy ordained
At first he just did morning mass, an easy chore to do
But soon he started doing more if Father asked him to
He’d stay and clean up afterwards, making sure that all was done
Father Dan would always talk and joke making holy work seem fun
Then one evening Father Dan exclaimed, “come sit upon my knee”
Jacob looked suspicious and was about to turn and flea
But Father Dan just grabbed his arm and said “I wish that you would stay”
“It’s God’s orders that you do this, you know you must obey”
And Jacob couldn’t argue since Father had the right
And since God could only speak the truth then Jacob wouldn’t fight
Father slowly came to Jacob and he gave him a little pat
And God’s orders were to blame when Jacob changed right after that.
Tales From the Emotionally Damaged Children’s Series