The Young Girl

She was huddled inside the shelter
At a bus stop
Sheltered from the cold
And the wind
She appeared upset
And cold
For the clothing she wore
Was barely enough to cover
Her small body
Her look was distant
Really not caring
If the bus arrived or not
I wondered what her plight was
Where was she going
Where had she been
Her hair was dishevelled
And her summer weight jacket
Too thin
For the coldness of winter
Her thin legs
Covered with tight jeans
Ripped at the knees
Running shoes on
Seemingly too big for her feet
My heart seemed to feel
For this young lady
Who seemed to be
No older than sixteen
The time of night
Was not for a young lady
To be on her own
She did not appear
To be coming
Or going
To work
She seemed too young
And I wondered where
Her family was
Did they know of her whereabouts
Did they care
A young teen
Barely past ten
And now considered
Grown up
I pulled my car over
To ask if she needed help
Or a ride
I called from my car
But she paid no attention
Not even turning her head
She then stepped
Out of the shelter
And started making her way
Down the sidewalk
Appearing not to care
In which direction she walked
Just walking
Somewhere
No where
All alone
In a busy city
I watched as she made her way
Down the block and around the corner
And wondered if I had frightened her
And did she have plans to catch a bus
Or was she in the shelter
For warmth from the cold
I will never know
About this young lady
Never know what became of her
What she had planned to do that evening
Or where she lived
Or what her situation was
A young girl, barely over ten
Alone in the world
It seemed
Where would she sleep that night
And when was her last meal
And how many others are out there
Alone
Cold
Hungry
With no one to care
If they make it through the night
Or not.

Gail Adams
Author of the books, ‘Heaven and Earth and In Between'.