A Stranger Cries Out

-A Stranger Cries Out-
by Keaton Foster



A stranger
Cries out
I hear
Her voice
The sound
She makes
Curdling
I don’t move
I can’t
Just won’t
I’m frozen
Over the fear
Of what is
Happening
To her
Standing still
I hope another
Somehow acts
Maybe
They’ll save her
Then again
Possibly
They won’t
I just don’t know
And probably won’t
I’ll remain here
Too afraid to move
Too mortified to act
Upon her behalf
As well as my own
I myself
Would rather die
Than save her
From herself
Or anything else
A Stranger
Cries out
She does not convey
What it’s about
She just pleads
By the grace of God
If you can hear me
Come and help
Come and save me
But I won’t
I just can’t
Nope
I’ll remain here
Looking unsure
Acting unaware
As others
Braver than I
Act upon her behalf
Rise up to the chance
Of what it could mean
To put themselves
In harm’s way
In order to save her
A Stranger
Cries out
Increasingly dire
She sounds
Someone better act
Someone other
Than the likes of me
Had better step in
Do the right thing
Regardless
Of the “what if”
I’ll remain here
Telling myself
Possibly a lie
That she’ll be fine
She’ll be saved
By some other
One
Who had the guts
To find out
What she
Was screaming about…

A Stranger Cries Out
Written by Keaton Foster Copyright © 2015.