A Stolen Childhood

With eyes full of wonder, dreams hidden beneath,

Pallid faces and broken teeth.

Hands begrimed, wrinkle lines crisscrossed,

Dirt under the nails, covered with moss.

The dusty feet have never touched a warm shoe,

The hard soles underneath, pricked with rocks and dew.

Torn clothes, bones jutting out,

With the gap between their fingers, for food they scout.

A child, a child like us, with childhood stolen away,

Though his voice is silent, his pleading look, all it says.

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Meager family income, unable to make ends meet,

The young children travail, in rain, wind, or heat.

Engaged in child labor, begging on the street,

Employed at an age, when they should be playing hide and seek.

Living in filth and squalor, marginalized with neglect,

Carrying the burden of the world, on shoulders bereft.

Combating battles familiar, endeavoring to survive,

Life is a constant tussle, yet they strive.

A child, a child like us, with childhood stolen away,

Never seen a peaceful night, or woken to a cheerful day.

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The world is a cruel place, inequality through and through,

The rich become richer, the poor have resources few.

Oh, the acute suffering, the unbearable pain,

Does the tiny tot deserve, this stress and strain?

Was he brought to the world to only face struggle?

Does he not have the right to cause a little trouble?

Does he not deserve jubilant infancy and elementary teens?

Adulthood will be laborious, let him enjoy the in-betweens!

A child, a child like us, with childhood stolen away,

Lost his innocence too soon, the poor creature fell prey.

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Wake up, time to take a stand,

A child is god's blessing, a work of his hands.

All a kid requests for is love and care,

A pinch of happiness, a good state of welfare.

Don't ask the child to earn, or make him take tool,

Give him a proper education, send him to school.

A chance at a future, bright and right,

Despite his circumstances, a mere delight.

A child, a child like us, with childhood light and gay,

A life full of prosperity, oh, just a happy life, I pray.