(Starter line by James N.)
“The innocence of children should not be forgotten. . .”
I went to college
To get an education
And lost
My innocence.
I met the men
And women
Of the distant
African country
Of Darfur…
Where 500,000
Men, women,
And children
Have had systematic
Genocide
Brutalized
Upon them…
I cannot forget
What I know.
Nor can I allow
My fellow
Humans pass me
By without
Letting them
Know that the
Seven Americans
Who died in the news
Is nothing
Compared
To the 7,000
This month in the
Streets of Darfur.
We should be
Just as outraged.
I want to wake up
And be pleased
With the world
But learning
That every 12 seconds
A woman is raped
Or beaten
In America
Makes me wonder
Which woman
That just passed me
In the street
Or sat beside me
On the bus
Was one of them.
I am grateful
For the privilege
Of being in debt
For the education
I received…
I arise torn…
Between knowing
What I know
And wanting
To return
To the innocence
Of a child
Who can
Simply
Go out
And play
Today
And enjoy it
For its own
Sake…
I need to remember
That sweet innocence
Is what makes
All the rest
Worth it.
