On The Other Side of Heaven

Something for a lil girl named Nevaeh

How do we dare...
approach those gates, faithfully;
praying with bloodied hands,
covering smug, apathetic faces,
pretending to be lost sheep.

Behind us, a trail of small bodies...
battered, broken, and twisted,
dressed in a mannequin's best
with their lips sewn shut;
some a ghostly shade of blue.

We walk through the tragedy,
unphased by all the damage...
stewing on self-righteous dogmas,
spelling Heaven backwards
looking for redemption in dirty water.

How do we dare...
think of those - promised gates,
dripping RED! Deaf, dumb and blind
to the squandered gifts and rewards at our feet.
Are the gatekeepers all asleep...
or are we mad?

Author's Note

This piece is for a lil girl named Nevaeh whom the world never got to know, and who never got to truly know the world either. It saddens me to have to admit that a child no longer suffering is better than a child left to suffer. May she rest well.

Reviews

[Delmar Cooper]

A large part of life is suffering and the largest part of suffering is guilt. The same place a sufferer obtains the awareness of guilt he may obtain the cure.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Agreed... thank you for the visit and thought-provoking review.

[Chris Shaw]

So sad to think lil Nevaeh's time on this planet was so fleeting. I agree that a child no longer suffering is sadly preferable to one whose day's are filled with it. There is some stark imagery here which made me wince. I don't know what happened to this child, and I am almost too afraid to ask because I fear what the answer may be. It is hard for me to contemplate a heaven these days when I think of the atrocities that take place especially involving children. I don't know where heaven is, but I sure see hell on planet earth. Hard hitting Travis. Bless this child and may she rest in eternal peace.

Chris

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

I find comfort that she is away from the pain of this world... she unfortunately, was killed by her mother. Her name was Nevaeh Allen.

[Chris Shaw]

I googled and found out more Travis. I knew I shouldn't have :(

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Just heartbreaking... what hurt the most was after reading the story, and attempting to make sense of it all, the realization that her name is Heaven backwards, hit me like a ton of bricks! I truly hate how evil we can be.

[Chris Shaw]

Oh how utterly gut wrenching. That is incredibly sad :(

[Sami Khalil]

Sad but true. Heartbreaking and wrenching. A wake up call. Children suffer all over and no one cares.
Keep the memory alive.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

It's one of the greatest pains of my life... I wish the world treated children better.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You are welcome.