I jumped out of bed at the slightest peep
I rocked her and sang when she just could not sleep
Held her little hand tightly while crossing the street
Put LL Bean boots on her innocent feet.

I ran next to her bike while she learned to ride
Promised I would not leave her side
I helped her with projects and book reports
Hid under tables she made into forts.

We planted flowers, hands deep in the dirt
I put Band-Aids on all of the places that hurt
I could not love my little girl more
So how could I know of the wolf at the door?

I watched her play tennis, basketball, sports
We played Scrabble, Monopoly, games of all sorts
We swam for hours on end in the pool
Said Grace before dinner, talked about school.

We did all the things that parents should do
"Just say no", we taught her that too
Lectures on health, safety, and more
But I still did not know of the wolf at the door.

Vacations in Maine, the best of the last
"Hold my hand Daddy the sea is so fast"
Dad held her tightly as he jumped each wave
How could we know what we could not save?

Then Amy's Dad left us one summer day
He decided he needed to go away
I watched my beloved daughter fade
Our family was broken, the family we'd made.

Freckles and braces, curly red hair
Her appearance unchanged but her heart was not there
She grew and struggled with changes and more
And the wolf was listening there at the door.

We managed to keep our family going
The love between all of us growing and showing
Rob and Amy were as close as before
But the wolf was now grinning there at the door.

Then one painful day, Dad left us for good
He died very young in a way no one should
Amy seemed lost as never before
And the wolf began scratching there at the door.

Something inside of me knew he was there
He wanted to take my daughter somewhere
I finally learned who that wolf had been
He goes by the name of Heroin.

The wolf has no limits, no conscience, no care
He is skilled at trapping kids unaware
They try him the way they drink beer or smoke pot
And what the wolf wanted, he usually got.

The wolf now had Amy - she gave him her hand
He led her right into a magical land
No loneliness, fear, sadness, or pain
A place my daughter would choose to remain.

But the wolf was a cunning impostor, a fake
Once welcomed in he was right on the take
Each victim surrendered, they belonged to him now
He would keep them imprisoned, oh yes he knew how.

As each captive tried him, he made them feel good
And then he wore off as he knew that he would
All would need what he had and he knew they would buy it
And the wolf laughed with glee as he loved to supply it.

Does my son still have a purpose in life?
Big brother's heart filled with sadness and strife
I told him we'd save her at any cost
My words made no difference, his sister was lost.

He'd protected her from thunder and rain
Run to her side to fix playground pain
My happy and loving boy was no more
A family destroyed by the wolf at the door.

There is no doubt that a heart will ache
I now know, too that a heart does break
I begged and I screamed and I wept and pleaded
The wolf remained, he knew what she needed.

This story does not yet have a close
How it will end I can only suppose
She is sober now, no drugs or lies
Yet he's still at the door, cunning and wise.

So I whisper to God, as I always do
Please watch my baby, there's no one but you
Please save our children, there are millions more
And please, I beg you, keep the wolf from our door.