Withdrawn

Withdrawn from my childhood
My innocence and youth
I’m standing guard with gun in hand
What else have I to lose?

My life or anothers
It’s how it has become
When a boy my age of 10 years
Shall protect the family
Where’s the law?

I should be running in the street
With friends out kicking balls
But its a different game that
I should keep
Or else shall live no more.

I can not live as white man lives
I have a part to play
And thus it is my life goes on
The same as this, every day.

anaisnais › Portfolio › Withdrawn

Withdrawn by anaisnais

In my opinion the world should taake stance and stop Mugabe from using child soldiers. He steals their innocence and their youth, times they should be out running around playing ball with other young friends. Instead he gives them guns, not toy guns either; these are the real thing and the things they then go on to see and do, I don’t like to imagine! How will these youngsters ever learn to cope away from this situation, how could they go back to being children again after such horrors, how do they then integrate back into society?

Comments

H M Bascomover 4 years ago

Heartless and soul – less brutes that use children in such a horrific way. Cowards they are.
Natella2020over 4 years ago

I don’t know what to say, except that this poem feels very real. You’ve captured the emotions so well, but I don’t know if these children understand what they’re missing at all, and that just makes it so much sadder.
anaisnaisover 4 years ago

Thank you both for your thoughts, my worry is who will be expected to intervene and turn this around, at what cost to humanity and how will they bring the children back in line to ‘normal/expected’ behaviour.
wishingonstarsover 4 years ago

This is such a sorrowfull poem, but it something that we as a society needs to take a look at and see what we could do to turn this around. You’ve captured emotions well, they seem to bleed off the page, great work, well done.
anaisnaisover 4 years ago

Thankyou for taking time to read and comment. Humbled.