eyes filled with tears , she checked again and again

dread burned in her stomach

she sat on the cold tile floor of the bathroom

clutching the test

 

she found the courage to tell him

and his words slapped her in the face

he didnt care;

she was alone

 

she arrived at her parents doorstep

she cried, begging for forgiveness

but was pushed away

with words of "this is your mistake"

 

as she walked home

to her silent, empty apartment

despair and sorrow 

clawed at her throat

 

as burning tears washed down her tired face

she held her growing stomach.

she walked to the balcony, four floors up

and thought of how easy it would be to end everything

 

with nowhere else to go,

she turned to the one place that promised solace

and as she sat in the back pew

she felt peace for the first time in months

 

She began to know God

and her courage grew day by day

the child inside her

would indeed have a father

 

life will be hard, this she knows

and as she is wheeled into the delivery room

she grits her teeth through the pain

and she says a silent prayer