Voices united . . .

     Nom-Nee, Wee-One, Mal-Nai, and Lan-Oea at once said, “Broken promises give me no hope . . .”
     Bit by bit, piece by peace.
     My hope is stolen.
     This thief has many
     Faces, many names.
 
     It comes in beauty,
     But leaves deep scars.
     “My name is love,”
     It says, but leaves
     Fear and terror in its wake.
 
     “I am here,”
     It says, but
     When needed the
     Message is demanded,
     Abandonment ignored or laughed away.
 
     “Expectations are too high,”
     It says.
     Stop hoping,
     Stop believing,
     Just give up!
     There is no need to continue.
 
     Lan-Oea stood to discover she no longer had deformed feet and did not need a pebble to see them.  Her eyes saw things more clearly than the others.  She had more trust in Poppie and knew she must trust her mission to him, not to herself.  This is why she is still tired.  She tried for too long to walk the path on her own . . .