I saw her
lying in the ditch beside the road
A girl
in a little blue dress

I thought she was dead
just lying there
alone and so still

Frantically
I searched for help
driving recklessly
through the rain

She’s lying there
alone
and frightened
I anguished.

Where is her mother?
How could she leave her there,
with just a little blue dress
in the cold, cold rain?
What kind of mother
leaves her child?

A motherless child
needs someone.

So
I turned around
Afraid
but knowing what I had to do

I picked up the little girl
and carried her
back to the road

She knew
that her mother was gone
that it was too late

I’ll see her again, she said
I know, I said
but that doesn’t mean you’re not sad

She didn’t hide the tears
She cried them all
until there were no more
left to cry

I think it’s time to get going
she said finally

And we drove away from that place
That awful ditch
That lonely spot

You’ll need a new dress, I said.
Let’s get you a pink one
A bright, beautiful pink one

—Joyce Peachey Lind is a mother, teacher, and musician who lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is pursuing an M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education at James Madison University.