A world away, in a place I cannot seem to visualize,
lives a child just as you see above. Living in a world that
you and I would only recognize as Hell.
Thousands upon thousands of human lives are being taken
in this place so far away. Women and children the target as
a plain and simple message is sent ... we do not want you here.
Your blood is not pure.
A modern day genocide, seemingly not truly recognized by the world.
Myself, I had never heard of Darfur. I have looked at maps and
I still cannot quite grasp where it exists in our world, and as you
are reading this, you may feel the same.
It seems the furthest of furthest away, and yet sadly it does exist.
Once you have researched the plight of these people the story
will not easily leave you, or I would pray it would not.
You ask what we can do? Awareness is the key. How many of you even
knew that this is going on in the same world in which we live?
You know, we have probably heard reports but let it go over our heads.
Have we become so calloused as nations that we will turn a blind ear
to reports of three year olds being gang-raped and little girls becoming
mothers because they had no other choice but to let the murderers
have their way. It is time to let our government know that we are not
willing to do nothing.
Attacks come without warning and in any direction. One minute asleep,
the next in the hands of madmen. Children watch their family
and fellow villagers, being slaughtered before their eyes.
Screams from Mother's, Father's, Sisters, Cousins, Aunts,
as they are being tortured and most times killed is witnessed
countless times over and over in any given day.
The attacks are waged without warning
it is meant that very few are allowed to live.
By some quirk of fate the above baby has been spared.
But spared to live how?
If you want to know more, take a moment to do a Google image search,
subject line, Children of Dufar. Go to children's drawings. You will be
amazed when you take a few minutes to read the stories behind the drawings.
With crayon in hand the children of Darfur speaks in a language that
is universal, if the heart is allowed to open and to see.
They draw what they live and it is time that the world be made aware
that they do exist and a genocide in scale projected to be larger
than the Holocaust rages on now ... today.
What can we do? As I said before, awareness is a key part.
You don't have to climb upon your soapbox as I have seemed to do here.
Ask a friend if they have even heard of Darfur. Take a moment
to try to educate yourself and share what you have learned. Hopefully
with whom you have shared will take what you have told them
to someone else.
If you will message me I will send you to a fellow poets page
where there are very informative videos where you can quickly see
why this atrocity has to be somehow be stopped.
How? God help us with the how.
We as a world said "Never Again" It is time that we find a way
to live up to that promise.
