The Child Who Walks Backwards Summary

I have come to enjoy reading poetry; I may not always understand the meanings behind them however, when reading “The Child Who Walks Backwards” by Lorna Crozier I automatically could relate and depict exactly what this poem was about. Child abuse is something that happens all over the world and in every culture. Every year in the United States alone there are over 3 million reports of child abuse, involving more then 6 million children, this also does not include all the unreported cases. (childhelp.org) This poem is a narrative poem written from a neighbor’s point of view, how he or she can see the what is going on but is told otherwise from the parents. In this essay, I want to explore the on look of child abuse from an outsiders point of view ranging from denial that the situation is going on, to skepticism, and final the realization that this could be happening to a family member or a neighbor like in the poem. Sometimes seeing child abuse is hard and it not always blatant and in our faces nor do we always want to see it, seeing a child be abused is not an enjoyable task. However, noticing, reacting, and calling authorities could save a child’s life.
Denial: A coping mechanism that gives you

We have suspicion maybe ask the adult in the situation what is going on but almost 100% of the time, you will get excuses, like those in the poem. “My next door neighbor tells me/ her child runs into things.” Lorna Crozier (pg.7). Many simply accept those excuses and turn a blind eye. Denial is a deadly place to be in especially when subjects like child abuse come up, it’s a never ending loop of looking the other way if it does not directly affect your life. This is where as decent people we do not necessarily have to keep our eyes peeled for abuse situations but to recognize when they are happening right in front of