Children of the Night

Staring blankly into endless space
Ragged clothes hanging loosely
On bony frames thin as boards
Dirty and grimy with street grit
Clutching plastic bottles tightly

Eerie smiles on their drawn faces
Children of the night with light in their eyes
Playing endlessly on the streets
Or sprawled carelessly on the gutter
Clutching plastic bottles tightly

Clawing through restaurant refuse
Chewing half-eaten burgers and fries
Heaven provided nourishment
Or the river styx poured into empty stomachs
Clutching plastic bottles tightly

Palms outstretched
Eyes beseeching
Voices pleading
Seeking solace
Hope
Escape
Respite
Clutching plastic bottles tightly
With the clear amber sticky liquid
Inside the plastic bottle
They find solace
Hope
Escape
Respite
From unending hunger, pain and powerlessness.
The scourge of poverty.

Let the scourge end.

And may true solace
Hope
Escape
And respite
Find their way into the arms of the
Children of the night


"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe." -- Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor



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This post is part of Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty