Dear Santa,
I'm sure you're busy, so I'll try to keep this short
I know what I want for Christmas 'cause I've thought and thought and thought
And I've tried so very hard to be as good as good can be
But that's not easy when you're such a naughty girl as me
I don't know why I'm naughty; neither Mom nor Dad would say
They just yelled and called me names because I'd tried to run away
And Santa, that's not all they did; my Dad got mad again
And now I hurt so badly I can hardly hold the pen
Oh, and Santa, did I tell you that I tried to tell Ms. Jones
About what Daddy does to me whenever we're alone?
And how Ms Jones spoke to the head, who then called Mom and Dad
And how they all just smiled and lied and told me I was bad?
Then I tried to call that number for the NSPCC
And the lady that I spoke to said she wanted to help me
But Daddy came back in just then and caught me on the phone
And he did that thing he only ever does when we're alone
I know I asked you for this last year, and I hate to be a pain
But I'm gonna end this letter asking for the same again
Please make someone believe me, and help me find a home
Where no one does what Daddy does whenever we're alone.
Love from Jessica Marsters
Age 7 1/2
AN: For anyone not in the know, NSPCC stands for National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the UK.
Also, I'd like to say that the little girl in this poem is not based on me in any way, shape or form. Having posted this on a different writing site and received emails from people saying how brave they thought I was to share my "experiences", I thought it best to clear that up right from the start
I welcome comments and constructive criticism of all kinds, but there is one point I would really like opinions on. Do people think the opening and ending (Dear Santa...Love Jessica) adds to it, or would the poem stand better by itself?
*waits in fear and trembling for any comment*
