Face On The Milk Carton

Innocents…
  
since the day I let go of my mother’s hand for the first time
to cross the street on my own
  
I envisioned myself on the back of a 1990’s milk carton
as if I’ve been missing like Etan…
Age 6

The boy flying paper airplanes
before he ever knew
what crashing meant
The boy not knowing that
it wasn’t a fire truck
or a bright red balloon pouring out of his skin
or rain drops falling out of bunny shape clouds in his eyes
  
the boy just wanted to race paper boats down the street streams
screams in a basement
but no one hears him

the man saying after 30 years
a wife & his own little daughter that…
he was GUITLY!
  
The world’s time out was,
jail for killing an innocent boy…
  
“It’s10pm do you know where your children are?”
  
What if it was mother trying to find me
that innocent little girl
that would come home singing nursery rhymes
petting puppies
not knowing there was an animal on the other end of the leash

lured by candy eyes
and strangers that said
they'd be happy to meet my mother
  
even if I ever made it back home
would I be trapped there in my mind
would I be able to find
myself again
That could been me
Legs spread, half dead
I'd still be in his sweaty arms
unable to click my ruby slippers
and get to fucking Kansas
crying
"If I only Had A Brain"

Many times I was too young to know better
how easily we fall for a love letter

could have went from, "There’s a monster
under my bed and I can't sleep."
  
to,  there’s a Monster ON MY BED and
he’s trying to sleep with me!
  
and Mommy’s not around to save me!
and the night light just makes him
more scary

to real…
I’m a child anymore  
  
the little girl in me naive to understand  
that PEOPLE could turn into monsters too