Midnight Kiss

Deep in the middle of the night,
a parent wakes, with a slight fright.
A twinge of unease nags their mind,
the thought of their child, not far behind.

Unable to put their mind to rest,
they stumble out of bed on only one quest.
Opening the door oh so slow,
to their child's protected bedroom cove.

A girl's body lies tightly wrapped,
in the covers beneath a moonlit shaft.
Sweet face, with angelic gaze,
her breathing steady, like the moon's even rays.

The parent tiptoes quietly,
and the girl's tear stains they do not see.
They lean down and kiss her cheek;
with their mind at rest, they go back to sleep.

Little do they know that during that day,
the girl had had people say
hurtful and very rude things,
leaving her in hidden pain.

And that night she cried herself to sleep;
feeling unloved and very weak.
She'd woken up to the sound of footsteps,
but had stayed laying in her bedroom depths.

She'd seen her mom's tired face,
and felt her anxious gaze.
And as her mom had kissed her cheek,
the girl felt loved, and smiled for the first time in a week.