composed at age 13 (?) and published in a school booklet of student writings...
A cloud so very dark, evil and cruel,
Hovers all the day.
Over the wisemen, over the fools,
There's no getting away.
It corners us in like a book very slow,
An image of utter hell.
All the people pretend they don't know,
But they can see it very well.
For it's filled with sadness, hunger and hate,
Pain and poverty and prejudice,
Indigence and sorrow, dissention and strife,
War and weapons and things we all fear.
I close my eyes to the dark cloud I see.
I pretend that it's gone away.
Just like everyone else, I close my eyes,
And wait for the cloud to disappear.
I shut out the darkness of things that are bad,
And imagine that I see light.
I live my whole life with my eyes half closed.
I wait, just like them, and wait and wait more
For the end of the darkness.
I'll probably wait my entire life through,
Forever waigin for change in these lands.
Waiting and waiting for what could become true,
If people like me would stop waiting
And start lending hands.