A Child's Garden Of Curses.......not written by me

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hoot_owl_rn
Member Patricius

since 1999-07-05

Posts 10750
Glen Hope, PA USA

0 posted 2000-02-27 03:29 AM

This is something I think is very worth reading. It was written by a woman named Shirley Davis who is a survivor of child abuse. It certainly hits home and hits hard.

A Child’s Garden Of Curses
By Shirley Davis
(With apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson)

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-eater
had a wife and loved to beat her.
Put her through a life of hell,
and there he kept her kids as well.

Hush little baby, don’t make a noise.
Don’t ask for food, or clothes, or toys.
Hush, little baby, if you cry
Daddy’s gonna give you a big black eye.

Sing a song of sixpence,
a pocket full of holes.
Four and twenty suppertimes
with rice soup in our bowls.

As I was going to St. Ives
I met a man with seven wives.
The seven wives had seven brats,
and all the brats had coats and hats.
How many belonged to my father?

Mary, Mary , quite contrary,
how didn’t your garden grow?
With quiet fears and silent tears
and broken dreams all in a row.

Jack Sprat could only curse,
his wife could only scream.
And so between the two of them
their kids learned not to dream.

Mary had a hand-me-down
and shoes not fit to wear.
And every day she went to school
the kids were sure to stare.

Ding-dong-dell
Daddy’s in the well
Who threw him in?
(I won’t ever tell.)

Little miss Muffet stood by her tuffet,
eating her heart away.
A man came and spied her
and no one could hide her.
So Miss Muffet’s missing today.

Have you ever noticed
That the words...
"Goodbye"
"I'm sorry"
"I love you"
Are so easy to pronounce
...Yet so hard to say
~Javan

Marge Tindal

Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-06

Posts 42384
Florida's Foreverly Shores

1 posted 2000-02-27 03:33 AM

Wow, Hoot~
Some pretty scary tales here.
Unfortunately, she's hit the nail
on the head.
Thanks for sharing it, hon.
~*Marge*~

~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~
[email protected]

hoot_owl_rn
Member Patricius

since 1999-07-05

Posts 10750
Glen Hope, PA USA

2 posted 2000-02-27 11:48 AM

Thanks for reading Marge...it is scary, but the truth is at times

childomine
Senior Member

since 2000-01-25

Posts 818
st. petersburg, FL

3 posted 2000-02-27 02:18 PM

The demon called abuse. So fitting that the words of abuse are spoken in childrens ryhmes. A terrible truth of the world we live in.

JamesMichael
Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-16

Posts 33336
Kapolei, Hawaii, USA

4 posted 2000-02-27 04:43 PM

This is very sad for all involved. The ugliness and sickness of abuse taking the place of what should be love and understanding. As she said these kids learned not to dream. A sadness they may live with the rest of their lives. I can still vividly remember some of the things that happened in my family when I was very young and I wonder how much they affected who I am today. I know that my parents did not teach me how to love by a loving example.
But don't get me wrong I love my mom. James

Mistikman
Senior Member

since 2000-01-10

Posts 682
San Jose, CA, USA

5 posted 2000-02-27 05:30 PM

Wow, I have never seen so many examples of horrible treatment put into nursery rhyme format. It is exremely powerful this way, the person who wrote this needs to be commended.

hoot_owl_rn
Member Patricius

since 1999-07-05

Posts 10750
Glen Hope, PA USA

6 posted 2000-02-27 06:36 PM

Thanks for reading this....I have to agree the fact that she set the words to nursery rhymes...what should be an essential part of any childs life and something we all can relate to brings the message out louder and clearer....it's a clever piece of work despite how tragic it is.

Seymour Tabin
Member Empyrean

since 1999-07-07

Posts 31720
Tamarac Fla

7 posted 2000-02-27 06:45 PM

Hoot,
Thank you for posting this. It is good, strong and well done. *L*

tracie66
Member Elite

since 2000-01-18

Posts 4713
Australia

8 posted 2000-02-28 03:24 AM

Ruth all I can say is thanks for sharing this with us...tracie

First__Knight
Senior Member

since 1999-11-08

Posts 678

9 posted 2000-02-28 07:30 AM

Wonderful message here

There are two kinds of pedestrians...the quick and the dead. Drive it like you stole it.

hoot_owl_rn
Member Patricius

since 1999-07-05

Posts 10750
Glen Hope, PA USA

10 posted 2000-02-28 08:46 AM

Thanks everyone for reading what I think is an important piece of work

RainbowGirl
Member Elite

since 1999-07-31

Posts 3023
United Kingdom

11 posted 2000-02-29 05:46 PM

Ruth: This reminds me of the child protection ads we have here, one was about voices and all you could hear was the father saying " Now don't tell mummy cause you'll upset her" and a little girl saying " I won't daddy but please don't hurt me"..

I cried once the numbness wore off

RufffRyder
Member

since 2000-02-25

Posts 143
<------Over There------>

12 posted 2000-02-29 05:52 PM

Hoot_Owl~I have read this several times and everytime I tried to reply I couldn`t.
I can`t stand the fact that this happens to the GREATEST GIFT THAT GOD CAN GIVE ANY OF US,OUR CHILDREN.
This one hurts but it`s something that needs to be brought to the attention of everyone.
And maybe,just maybe someday it`ll stop.
Thank you for posting this Hoot_Owl.

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