In Memory of Christian(may we Never forget)

~In the animal kingdom, there is a fundamental understanding that wild animals are at their most aggressive when protecting their young. For example, the safety of her cubs might incite a lioness to fiercely defend her den, and at the same time a  domestic house cat can be equally vigilant over her litter. In addition to gaining protection, the babes of the litter are cleaned and fed, as well as taught social skills.
 This is common behavior, especially among mammals. Instinct drives such behavior, but we homo sapiens can glean something important from their example. Although they aren’t influenced by emotion or conscience, animals fulfill these familial care~ giving tasks beautifully, without conditions or complaint.
Why can’t we do the same?
April 2014 marks the 5 year anniversary of the death/murder of 13 year old Christian Choate, who lived his life in a dog cage. He suffered merciless treatment and eventual death at the hands of his own father and step mother. Like me, you may be unfamiliar with his heart rending story. I had never heard the name until 3 years after his body was discovered and reported. And that is a tragic shame, for his story needs to be told and remembered with the hope of  preventing anything like this from happening again. We need to remember Christian.
Christian died at the age of 13 from a combination of blunt force head trauma,  and starvation. His death is a tragedy, but what it revealed about his life is even more shocking.
 Here is a list of just some of the abuse:
1.Beaten physically
2. Sexually molested
3.Caged (for more than a year leading up to his death)
4.Starved (He was 13 but only weighed between 43 and 46 lb’s and wore a child’s size 6 clothing.)
5.Forced to wear diapers
6.Emotionally abused  when his step mom gave him writing assignments such as “ Why can’t you let the past go?” or “What does it mean to be part of a family?”
7. Even in death, he was disrespected ( His step mom put his body in a plastic tote/bag and stored it across the street in her grandmothers trailer. Later he was buried under floor in the shed behind the house and covered in concrete.)

There are nearly three decades between us in age, but only a few inches separated us on a map, for I grew up in the same mid west state as Christian. Although our situations were vastly different, Christian’s story feels personal to me because of experiencing some of the same treatment as a child. , so I can only give a limited account of his sad and tormented life, for it is very difficult to recount. You can read more about him with a simple google search of his name.
To accompany this essay I wrote a poem for Christian, to honor his life, grieve his death and remember that the suffering is over for him. It is called "The Lost Boy" I hope you can read it too.
* It was an epic failure on more than just family. Christian slipped through the cracks  of child protective services, neighbors, and the school system.