Have you heard of Madeleine Mccann?
She's a 4 year old who was abducted from her hotel room in Portugal where she was vacationing with her parents? She has been missing for about 40 days. Her parents, both physicians, have launched a massive media campaign and raised a huge ransom in order to get her back. It's a horrible story and I've become riveted by it. Children are abducted every day. Why am I so sad about her as opposed to all of the other children? I don't know.
She reminds me of my youngest. Here she is. How could anyone destroy such beauty. To try and understand drags me into the abyss.
Her parents made a horrible mistake and they are bleeding all over the press. They will leave no stone unturned they say. Her mother carries Madeleines toy, cuddly kitty with her everywhere she goes. All she has left now.
When my younger daughter was 6 weeks old, I had to go back to work. I used to have a dream that I had lost her. It was an atmospheric dream of emptiness that stayed with me all day. The story makes me feel the way the dream did.
My daughters will go to Mexico. What if I lost them. What if they were hurt and frightened and I wasn't there. I wouldn't want to ever leave Mexico because I would feel like I left them. I wouldn't be able to move out of the house that we lived in ever again, even if it was falling down around me because I would be afraid that their spirit would not be able to find me. I wouldn't even be able to ever use their room for anything else because I would want their spirit to have a place to be. I guess that's why they can't go back to England.
She's a pampered child who has led a fairy-tale existence. We hope that the one who took her was someone who couldn't have a child and wanted one and they are being kind to her. But we all know that this isn't likely. We know why she was taken. Do you think she would be better off dead than sold into a child prostitution ring? Can things be so bad that death would be better?
We barrier ourselves against the world. We try to block all of the bad things out. We do this out of necessity, because sometimes the world is too much. Sometimes something happens that cracks open your barrier and everything that you've held back all comes rushing in at once. That is what this story has done to me. I will continue to post updates about it.
16 comments:
No, I hadn't heard about Madeleine, so I thank you, Behind Blue Eyes, for making me aware of her story. I don't watch the news as much as I should.
Child abduction and abuse is the worst thing that can happen to a human being. At least adults can try to make sense of situations where they are being abused. It's sad, but inspiring that you care. This is a beautiful tribute that you've made for her and you never know if it will help. It just might.
Thanks for plowing through that huge story of mine. I may have shaken a few readers with that one! I think I'll post tomorrow's post at midnight. I want to write some new stuff tonight, since I've barely written anything new since starting my blog. I wrote seventy poems and a few short stories in the sixe or seven weeks before that, so I'm a little anxious about my writing right now, what with people who listen to me and all. It's really nice to meet people like you.
Anyway, thanks as always for the responses! You always have a lot to say and I try to answer you back in kind on the same page.
OK, OK. I forgot to say that I like the media style setup that you framed this writing around. Framework can be hard to teach people to do, but you've got it. Experimenting with stuff like that can really open doors as to what you would like to write about.
And I like the book list on your profile. Everybody should love to read. I just bought a new novel called Disgrace, by JM Coetzee and I can't wait to start it since it won a nobel prize for literature. I also bought a book of poetry by Bukowski called "What matters most is How you walk through the Fire". Very good stuff that I hope will fuel the writing. Well, talk to you soon, Behind Blue Eyes.
Were I you, I'd worry if my daughters went off to Mexico. But, like you, I think I'd probably let them go. We live in a world of risk, and nothing can stop that. I don't know the particulars about the McCann case, but I'll be nosing about it anon, because of your post. Did the parents really make a mistake?
Especially today, when parents are held responsible for the actions and consequences of their children, there's a tendency to teach them to provide their kids with a risk-free enviornment. I wonder how one does this for an extended length of time. I also wonder if there are worse consequences to sending out kids in a risk-filled world without any experience in risk-taking.
Random thoughts. I know you'll be a bit nervous during your daughters' vaction. But fingernails grow back, and almost always the kids return.
Eric-I will get to your blog and give you a more worthy answer tomorrow.
X-The thing is, they left them alone. They could see the room, but they weren't close to it. There were three children, two were younger twins and they only took this one. They are really being ciriticized for leaving them alone. I say it is a moot point by this time. There is even a petition to try to have them prosecuted when they get back.
And anyone else...you know who you are. If I want to cry because my fingernail breaks I will.
winai-First of all, I've told you that I don't want you to come to my blog anymore if you always want to say sarcastic, critical things yet you keep coming. Secondly, you don't know a thing about me for if you did, you wouldn't have said any of the things you said and you would realize how ridiculous you sound, son. Third, if you keep coming on my blog only to be critical, I will delete your commnents because you are a real downer and I don't think that anyone who reads my blog really wants to hear from you. It's a shame because I know you know better.
parents make mistakes like that all the time and get lucky (i.e. no consequence, the kids are fine); it's the fact that something happened and the intense scrutiny of the media that is making their suffering even worse than it would be otherwise. I'm not a parent (yet), but I do understand your fears. But I think we need to remember that all you can do is take reasonable precautions, and know that these abductions are rare and only seem common because we have access to so much information now. if we worry excessively and scare children too much with 'stranger danger' then, at worst, we create a society of isolated paranoiacs. all this is not to say you shouldn't worry at all as a parent - a little worry is a natural thing I think, and it is what will ensure their health and safety.
Yes I heard of this story because on the the radio stations I listen to at work is based out of the UK and they have been covering it extensively. Isn't it awful?
Hey there, Behind Blue Eyes
I just wanted to say hello and I hope you are well. Thanks for the support, and if you want to say anything, even talk about other things like this for responses at my blog, that's fine. I just like your company in print on my sreen, right? Thanks and see you!
and I'm stealing your link for mt sidebar! I'll give it back if you want.
Hm, sorry to hear about this. My mom told me she used to have terrible nightmares that were much the same. I think it is pretty much a universal mother thing.
Hi Benji=Thanks for stopping by. I will in like stop by yours when I have a little more time.
Trevor-Glad to know I'm not the only mother who worries excessively.
Everyone=I did something very much out of character for myself the other night. I was on a blog from the UK and the guy had posted about Madeleine. There were 190 comments on his blog and most of them blasted the parents for leaving her alone. They want to have charges brought against them. They say they should have their other children taken away. They said they were neglectful and that there was no excuse for their neglece. I got really mad and I cussed them out (Ariadne style, Ricardo!). Then someone responded to my rant and said that 'Beyond Blue Eyes was a deceptively sweet name for someone with such a foul mouth'. I'll have to give them points there, that was a good come-back, but I proceeded to make another long rant sans cussing. And for some reason, I even quoted the Bible! I don't know where that came from though I suppose Jesus had some good one-liners....you know like "He who is without sin cast the first stone." But people make me really mad. I told them that if they spent as much time and energy into trying to make this world into a better place as they do trying to destroy these people then perhaps the world would be a better place. And I also called them cowardly people who swooped down on these people like a pack of animals who smelled blood.
Eric-I will take you up on your offer.
Ricardo-I guess I can't criticize Ariadne anymore.
LOL! No you can't criticise her!
This could happen to any parent. It's a terrible thing.
sometimes a little online rant is a nice way to blow off steam. i recently told a cab driver in Ghana who ripped me off to go to church and pray for forgiveness because he was a thief. when in rome (Ghana's majority are very devout christians)...
Hope you're doing well. I hope my posts haven't made you sad. That one about men was about how our culture still teaches men to dominate in many fashions, and this leads to the things we see on the nightly news, the tragedies that get commited. Anyway, I'll have a couplw new posts for you. I just wanted to make sure you were still there.
E
*heavy sigh*
Oh how I wish for a happy ending to this sad moment for everyone.
I hadn't heard cuz I don't tend to watch the news.
Have they found the little girl?
*sad sigh*
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