Remaining Voiceless

I agree with Ben's well written and highly moving comments here, Saffie! Although you talk about 'you' contemplating why no-one could ever protect 'her' in this poem, I feel that this is actually you talking about your own childhood, the same way that my sister talks to me about hers. The same unknowns come up when she questions herself, even after so many years. Why no adults noticed? Why wasn't she protected? Why did it happen? Why couldn't she tell? You and she also live with wrongly apportioned guilt, when in reality, as abused children, you were faultless victims of child abusers. You are both blameless! The longer verse three is a good description of what this made life like for the girl. I would recommend a couple of small changes there - 'So making' changed to 'So she made' and 'anyway' is one word! I think it reads better that way. The last three lines leave the reader with a twist, because the way you have written them leaves the interpretation of remaining voiceless or speaking out open to the reader. Had she spoken out and you are contemplating whether she would have been better off remaining voiceless? Or are you contemplating that she might not have been better off remaining voiceless and should have spoken out? Nice unanswered finish to a very moving poem, leaving the reader pondering after the poem is read!

How true, Saffie - the world is so damn big and full of so many people and pairs of ears - yet how few seem to ever hear the needy?
Well written and highly moving,
Ben