The night was cold, the fire burning old
And the shepherd couldn’t take his eyes off his flock
His stare was dry, life the air of the night
And his head he was able to move, could not.
He was aware of the dangers
Of the night’s freezing strangers
So he had extra help, his fire
Little did he know, he was starting to doze
But he had to stay awake, for he was required.
He was freezing and shaking
But a howl was an awakening
Of someone in the night he should have caught
The thief had gathered all of the shepherd’s herd and matter
Leaving the shepherd distraught.
The thief had tricked the herd away
And kept them for days
Just until their cruel death
And right after they starved, he instantly carved
A cross into their innocent necks.
He smirked at his artwork
Not realizing he went berserk
On now the dead, bloody sheep
The trust was no issue
The town would grieve with their tissues
And no one would know he was the thief.
After days, the shepherd had realized his herd had
Been dead for quite awhile now
He grieved and he looked
At the starry night which cooked
His anger of the disavowed.
Except for his past,
And the night’s overcast—
The shepherd was bitterly alone;
For he will have nothing to look after
Except his thoughts of disasters
Of the whereabouts of the thief unknown.

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Tarah Hipple

Tarah Hipple is an avid student of social work and cognitive behavioral therapy. She was a blog contributor for the Open to Hope Foundation and recently authored her book Tarah’s Song: Words of Survival, a compilation of poems about her journey from tragedy to suffering to survival. Her first-hand accounts of tragedy at a young age are penned in these poems. Tarah used writing and playing the piano as a sort of therapy, and these creative outlets helped Tarah to be able to discuss feelings she had difficulty expressing. Through intense therapy for her post-traumatic stress disorder, Tarah confronted the past and found peace. She now co-presents with her father, Eric Hipple, and speaks about their continued journey of recovery and suicide prevention. Tarah was born in 1993 and resides in Michigan.

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