Villanelle for a Lonely Child

There's nothingness where once love did reside.

Empty in its longing to be filled,
Her heart's a battlefield of wounded pride.

A child rejected, lost, and put aside,
She weeps, bleeding, and her joy is stilled.
There's nothingness where once love did reside.

Blind to hope, she builds walls meant to hide
Her pain from those who keep her unfulfilled.
Her heart's a battlefield of wounded pride.

A mother sat, and dreamed, and prayed, and cried.
All for naught, the bitter tears were spilled.
There's nothingness where once love did reside.

A lonely child is searching for a guide
In hopes her heart might someday be refilled.
There's nothingness where once love did reside.
Her heart's a battlefield of wounded pride.

-Chris Hayes, MD