Dressed in rich satin dresses,
They were trimmed with dainty lace;
She knew nothing of the common,
The struggle of the human race.

Each day she was awakened,
Bathed…dressed and fed by others;
Those who’s task it was to care,
Pamper and to smother.

She had a Father…he was away,
And, she saw him so seldom;
It didn’t matter…she didn’t mind,
She pretended that he was there.

A Mom…yes, she had one,
Well, don’t we all have?
She primped and she was social,
But, for Alice…she didn’t care.

So, Alice lived life in a dream,
One…where everything was just so;
Her Dad and her Mom,
Oh, they loved her…you know!

Surely they did…the best had she,
And, none of life’s cares;
Still…there are times when,
She wished that they were there.

Prim and proper…she was raised,
A lady…she would be;
The little girl was covered-over,
The little girl…nobody could see.

A child out of sight,
A child out of mind;
The years…they dragged by,
And, one day…Alice…they couldn’t find.

A young woman stood tall…poised,
But, her heart was cold as stone;
Perfect…without a flaw,
With no feelings…she had grown.

A rare and shining jewel…inside,
But, it’s beauty no one saw;
There was too much ‘hurt’ out there,
From life…she did withdraw.

Alice…she had no friends,
Quite alone was she;
Her life was superficial,
The ‘outside’ was all we could see.

Poised…and quite cultured,
She was well-trained;
Who would ever know that she was gone,
And, only the hull remained?

Shut-up…in an ivy-covered palace,
Protected from the real world;
Had only made her fearful,
From the world…she recoiled.

With child-like beauty on the ‘inside’,
A marble statue was all we saw;
She dare not show the true ‘self’,
No, from the real ‘self’…withdraw.

Was Alice destined to forever be,
A prisoner…shut-up ‘inside’,
Never to step out into the real world,
To shine forth…to be set free?

One day…it happ’ed upon her,
Something that would forever change;
Our Alice was about to come forth,
Her whole life…re-arrange.

She was walking in the garden,
It was enclosed ‘round about with a tall hedge;
When she happened to see a young child,
Who had wandered inside the hedge.

Her first thought was to banish,
This young child had to flee;
Alice wanted nobody in her garden,
How dare this child come upon her property?

But, as she stopped and saw her,
Watched the child at play;
The ‘child’ within Alice,
Wanted to join her that day!

Oh, wonder of all wonders,
Something deep ‘inside’ began to stir;
The outer-veneer was cracking,
What was happening…she wasn’t quite sure.

A butterfly fluttered past,
On a large red rose it landed;
The child stood in awe,
And then, reached out…her hand extended.

A shout of glee reverberated,
Out…across the landscape;
And, much to everyone’s surprise,
From Alice…the shout of glee…escaped!

This was a turning point in her life,
The cold marble statue fell away;
The ‘child within’ was set free,
And, free…she remains today!

The moral of the story,
Comes now…and it is clear;
Let the ‘child’ be seen…always,
Throw away that veneer!

********

August 16, 2003

Aimee Love
(LHG)