My Safe Place

Please take me back to my home
Take me to the dark place I was found
Please take me to my safe place
Where I’m protected from the horrors and the sounds

Please take me to my safe place
Between the wall and the heater
Please take me to the place I stay
When pappa hurts momma, when he beats her

Please take me to my safe place
When they fight throughout the night
I’m old enough to know when
He hits her it’s not right

In my safe place I can dream of smiles
And dream of breakfast of milk and lucky charms
I dream of times when I was smaller
When I fell asleep in her warm loving arms

Please take me to my safe place
Between the heater and the wall
Take me to my safe place
Where I can get away from it all

When momma said don’t ever leave that spot
Don’t move from that space until I come
I promised her that I would stay there
Then prayed a billion prayers and then some

So when that policeman pulled me out
To where I saw the blood and momma’s torn lace
I asked him where my momma was
He mouthed, “She’s in a better place.”

She can’t be, she can’t be, she can’t be
Momma’s my only reprieve
She promised me, that the two of us
Would someday find a way to leave

My momma would never leave me here
She promised to always protect me from harm
Take me to her, take me now
I want to fall asleep in her warm loving arms

Please take me to my safe place
Between the heater and the wall
Where my momma can come and find me
So we can escape from it all

I'm a Private Detective who has had the opportunity to work with defense lawyers in the federal system. That work has caused me a great deal of anguish finding the disparity between the federal system and the state system. Recently I worked a case in which a twenty year old boy is charged with a sex crime in the federal system because the boy was living on the Navajo reservation at the time of the incident. The victim is the accused 8 year old sister. There was no sexual intercourse or any contact with the boy's penis. Still, he is looking at a potential 30 year sentence.

That same boy, charged in the state system would get probation. I don't think our Native Americans realize that their citizens who reside on reservations are at risk of spending large chunks of their lives in prison for crimes that would not land them in jail if charged in the state system. It's not right.