Kendall
At the end of another day,
What did she dream of
After she cried herself to sleep?
When she awoke,
Did she ever get to smell the lilacs
And feel the sun on her back?
Or was the scent of hatred too pungent
And the blows of fists too strong?
Who can tell us now that she’s gone?
Will anyone remember her name?
Who would she have been
If she had entered this world
Through a different door?
An astronaut, an athlete, a mother, a sister?
No matter her path,
She was always a human being
With a heart and a soul,
Waiting to be loved.
About This Poem
“Kendall” was one of millions of children who have been abused and/or neglected, with these actions sometimes leading to death.
Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children. (A referral can include multiple children). The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect. (CDC, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and Child Maltreatment, 2014)
Child abuse has severe effects on physical, mental, and sexual health, as well as behavior, financial health, and criminal activity. These are just a few examples of its impact:
- As many as two-thirds of people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected as children. (Swan, N. (1998). Exploring the role of child abuse on later drug abuse: Researchers face broad gaps in information. NIDA Notes, 13(2).
- Children who experience child abuse and neglect are about 9 times more likely to become involved in criminal activity. (Harlow, CW. Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1999)
- In one study, 80% of 21-year-olds who reported childhood abuse met the criteria for at least one psychological disorder. (Amy B. Silverman, Helen Z. Reinherz, Rose M. Giaconia, The long-term sequelae of child and adolescent abuse: A longitudinal community study, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 20, Issue 8, August 1996, Pages 709-723.)
If you suspect that a child is being abused, call your local child abuse hotline; you can find yours on this list of hotline phone numbers listed by state.