Tim, your song says more or less what I would expect to feel in that child's place. Some feelings aren't gender-specific after all, but a matter of decency (or the absence of). Thank you.

Peace, thank you too, but I don't think an apology on your part was called for (and I notice the regrettable absence of the term from my own posting ...). I won't hijack this thread again by explaining what provoked my reaction (too long a story), but maybe we'll meet some day and can talk it over.

Apart from a very few lapses :-), I think this is a great thread! Oh, and Tim's song reminded me of Eric Bogle's 'At Risk'. Though the perspective is from the outside, it conveys very chillingly the situation of abused children.