Johnny's Hero

Johnny came to school one day,
In the middle of July...
Temperatures in the 90's,
Not one cloud in the sky...
But Johnny's wearing winter clothes,
His body covered from head to toe -
When his friends went to play in the water,
Johnny didn't want to go.
He stuck beside his teacher;
While she was thinking he's just shy...
He never was outgoing,
And she never questioned why.
Johnny was always good in class,
Oh, how he loved to do art...
But when it came to sharing,
He never did take part.
His teacher knew his mother,
She'd pick him up each day...
Rush to get him out the door,
Never having time to stay.
The teacher never saw his father,
But figured mother would suffice...
After all, she's a prominent doctor,
And she seemed pretty nice.
When lunch was finally over,
It was time for the youngster to nap...
But Johnny had milk that day,
And he spilled it in his lap.
Johnny's teacher found some extra clothes,
So that he could change and be dry,
But when she asked him to take off his clothes,
Little Johnny cried.
Beneath the many layers,
Lied bruising and scars...
She feared the worst had happened,
And anguish filled her heart...
Nevertheless, Johnny was only one student,
Out of the many needing her care,
So she put the thought aside,
Figuring tomorrow he'd be there.
Johnny had managed this long,
What could happen in another day?
She'd make a mental note of her findings,
And tomorrow take the time to say...
But tomorrow came and went,
...a few more days passed...
With no word, she began to worry,
And called the police at last...
After the police went to Johnny's home,
They came back with bad news...
"Johnny was beaten to death last night,"
Yes, Johnny's hero could have been you.