CREATURES FRIGHTENED BY THE LIGHT

Certain creatures of the air
Frightened by the night
They came to see the world again
And perished in the light
 (Leonard Cohen - from One Night I Burned)

Attracted by the flashing lights,
The neighbours came out to see
why EMT's had come, and soon the buzz
arose as two tiny forms were carried out
"Who are they?" could be heard, and more
than once; swaddled bodies, all they saw was hair
Black as coal, they all agreed but again, whose?
The little boy they knew; he was jumping,
playing on the lawn, oblivious to his sisters'
plight, as on stretchers, so needing care
(like)certain creatures of the air.

Twin girls were taken from that house
in such poor shape; one could be forgiven
thinking they both suffered a wasting illness
But no, these near-death malnourished babes
just two years old - had been starved, and beaten too
By their parents; an action that is against all things right
Those who should have protected them most
Cared for them, kept them safe - loved, loved, loved them
Instead, they neglected them, made them frightened of light
Frightened by the night

Their father, such a coward he, called the EMT's
when one of the girls stopped breathing, he panicked
at least that's what is surmised...and oh, they tried to save
them - these girls that weighed less than a three month old
But the one whose heart had stopped needed a respirator
Her parents tried to keep her on it forever but the Drs said when
she was brain-dead, and went to court to give her peace
And even those of the parents' religion shunned them for using
it as an excuse, saying it was not ordained thus in the Koran
They came to see the world again.

Now the parents await trial and life in prison if there's justice
The other girl and her brother have been given up for good
But the angel hovers near me as if I'm her guardian now
Baby M they call this child, the one no-one looked out for
Had I known about her sooner, I would have gone to help
Had anyone know about her, there would have been a fight
But who could guess that parents would be such horror shows
To treat one child exceptionally well while letting the others die
Abused, neglected, threatened; told  little girls grew weak at night
And perished in the light.