Lucky Escape

This was originally written for the Amnesty International, Human Rights campaign. I have uploaded a second poem ("One Too Many" ) written for the same contest.

***

A scream rips the darkness,
I stand, rooted to the spot,
Straining my ears for a direction,
Unsure of the origin of the sound.

Another cry, muffled this time,
I run in the direction of the coppice,
Torch-light bouncing ahead of me
Through the wet grass.

The coppice is upon me, suddenly
My legs ache as I push into the trees,
And in the light I see a man
Pinning a girl to the ground.

He turns, staring straight into my light,
Cold eyes so full of hate, my blood runs cold.
He stands and runs away from the brightness,
And I watch him crash into the night.

The girl lies whimpering, seemingly unaware
Of the fact that he has gone,
And my approach is greeted by a fearful cry,
Shying away from my presence.

Unsure what to do now, I dial 999
On the trusty mobile,
And explain the situation
As she lies shivering.

I offer my hand to pull her to her feet
And wrap my jacket around her shoulders,
Painfully aware that it could have been me
Brushing twigs from my skirt.