I Once was a Little Girl
by Leigh Sackett
I once was a little girl,
endless days in endless woods.
I once was a little girl,
treasures lining my pockets.
I once was a little girl,
who knew nothing of vanity.
I once was a little girl,
no knowledge of hatred and injustice.
I once was a little girl,
believing kisses fix all boo boos.
I once was a little girl,
two dogs trailing behind.
I once was a little girl,
returning home when the bell clanged.
I once was a little girl,
no fear of bears in the woods or sharks in the ocean.
I once was a little girl,
I knew you so well ...
Old mountains with the glacier scars to prove it.
Young waters baptized in the palm of rocky caverns.
Whippoorwills concealed from eyes but not ears.
The loon's ghostly call carried on the wind.
The bullfrog with a bellow ten times its size.
The croak of the catfish, drawn from the deep, hook in mouth.
A growl in the distance.
A scuffle in the woods.
The victor known only by God.
No media covers this war.
No media covers this peace.
I once was a little girl,
I knew you so well.
Suddenly you are still and deafly quiet.
Are you listening to someone?
Only God can tame such a place into silence.
"Be still," he says, "and know that I am God."
But you know, don't you?
I know too.
I once was a little girl,
who knew her Creator.
I once was a little girl,
who lived in heaven.
Wild and Wonderful.
Take me home, Lake Moomaw.
Take me home, Bolar Mountain.
Take me home to West Virginia.
Take me home to the fearless and free little girl.
I once was a little girl,
I knew you so well.
I am still a little girl.
