Child In Distress

Monday, July 18, 2011

Leo E. Repollo

I see this child
With multicolored shoelaces
Riveted in his eyesMaybe he thinks
They would look goodAround the greasy neck
That holds his peripatetic head
I am amazed at his existence
A vision of primeval resilience
His life is just a stroll
In a city grappling with its soul
In the Babel of its cacophony
In the images of its duplicity
His expertise in foraging
Is a delight to seeHe knows exactly
Where to find his meals for the day
If you want to learn more
About health and nutrition
You can always feast with him
In his intuitive sojourns
He will sleep on the pavement
Where the dog quietly died
No bed, no blanket, no mosquito net
How tough can you get
When he wakes up
The multicolored shoelaces
Will be somewhere else
He will not look for these
He may never know 123 or abc
But extending the hand
Is as natural as it can be
There has to be a reason
Why a child is born
Why a child is alone
Why a child has no home
Why a child is skin and bones
Why a child is buried so soon
Something that goes beyond
Statistical interpretations.