Timmy

 There’s a small cheery eight year old boy who walks beside me
He’s a wee bit chubby and has a mop of messy blonde hair
He takes every step that I take, his steps more hesitant
Occasionally he will stop and stand behind me, looking around
He is confident though, for he knows I am his protector
He knows I would never harm him or let harm come to him
Still sometimes he will hug on to my right leg for comfort
He goes everywhere with me and I really mean everywhere
He is never out of my sight and that too is my preference
He’s a happy go lucky child, a collector of teddy bears,
A collector of cute animal ornaments and silly joke books
He scuffs his shoes when he walks, he performs silly walks
Sometimes he will tie the sleeves of his jacket making a cape,
Sometimes he goes out without a jacket, leaving behind his scarf
Sometimes he is naughty, but in a really nice childlike way
He is forever encouraging me to do the same despite my age
He does all these things and he is the way he is because he
Feels safe, he feels secure and mostly he knows he is loved
He never cries and he never gets sad, he has no reason to
There was a time when he was constantly scared, shaking,
He’d cry a lot and was desperately sad, painfully marked,
Bruised, battered and abused by those in positions of trust
There was a time when nobody tried to come to his rescue
A time when he was loathed, when nobody showed him love
He is so happy and thankful that those days are behind him
He gets out to play everyday, he skips and whistles happily
I do for him what he does for me, we make each other smile
We make each other laugh and behave child like, like never before
We love each other unconditionally and are absolutely inseparable
We have an equal need for each other, it’s a two way street
There’s a small cheery eight year old boy who walks beside me
He’s so much more than a shadow or a mere shimmering reflection
That small eight year old boy who walks beside me; is me