Unsuspecting

They walked us to the gate
And we thought that we were safe
But around the corner he came
The cries that rose in our throats
Were those of all consuming terror ...
As the man raced toward us.
We dropped the keys, and all that
was left was to scream.
They bolted round the side, racing
to save us ... they would not let him escape!
We hovered on the porch as the lights
of neighbors flicked on,
Our cries of anguish had been heard.
The sirens came our way,
first the questioning,
as we silently pondered what could have been.
We said goodbye, we'd see each other later ...
But that was not true.
For we could never again be the same, joyous
Unsuspecting people that we had been.

by M. P., Lowell, MA