Think of the Children

Little faces upturned, watching.
Their childish prattle gives
a sense of security to us,
thinking that they are too young
to see or understand.

We are mistaken.

Their youth and innocence
are as fragile as their little bodies,
their perceptive nature-
an unspoken threat.
How long will this youth survive?

Will it remain, untouched
by the wretchedness of our sins?
Will it carry pieces of the
pain we’ve caused,
like shrapnel from war wounds,
until they painfully surface in later life?

Think of the children.
Your children-
though maybe unborn,
your neighbor’s children,
your best friend’s,
your cousin’s...
They see in you
what you cannot recognize.
They imitate in you
what you dare not recognize.

Unless you change,
they will keep repeating your pain.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

Poem

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Warrior Avatar
October 18, 2018 at 9:25 PM
Lovely said my friend...all children come first...may the Angels protect & comfort them...cause some of us have a hard time doing so...for 'the sins of the father become the sins of the son'...love & light...^WW^
Mcferran Avatar
October 19, 2018 at 9:44 PM
Thank you so much for the lovely comment! ;)
Faulkner Avatar
October 17, 2018 at 1:25 PM
So true, especially the closing lines, another wonderful write!
Mcferran Avatar
October 17, 2018 at 2:17 PM
Thank you for the wonderful encouragement! ;)
Krutsinger Avatar
October 16, 2018 at 11:19 PM
Children are hyper-vigilant, they miss nothing. Be careful, people, they are always watching - they notice every lifted eyebrow, every smirk, every possible shaming nuance of your mouth or your cheeks. Well done, Rhona. An apt reminder. I hope we heed this, as we all need to for it is wisdom personified.
Mcferran Avatar
October 16, 2018 at 11:24 PM
Thank you for your excellent comment, friend! ;)
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