Tears swim out of my eyes
Mama’s hurt. The bebe cries.
Strange men tell me we won’t die
Voices tell me those men lie.

My mouth is quiet, my soul lingers
They whap us with their death cold fingers
Mama’s goin’. I’m ‘fraid they’ll eat her
Soon I feel … I’ll never see her.

Nightmares laugh, I can’t believe
The red night sky, my heart that screams
They kill the night, the sky still bleeds
But close to my heart,
In the hands of my soul,
My spirit behold.
Hope, still hope.

Death hangs itself, I need to fly!
But if I do, my soul might try
To escape my hopeless eyes
Only to find the pain inside.

The pain inside of memories
Fear that I won’t see the trees
On loving land where freedom rings
Away from the teeth of the blood red sea.

My eyes command my mouth to smile
Land at last, the trip worthwhile!
Now I see, it is not my land, but heck
Still, close to my heart,
In the hands of my soul,
My spirit behold,
Hope, still hope.

My head points towards the ground
The caw of a crow is the scream of a sound
Quiet souls scatr’d around
Looking for hope though none to be found.

The cry of the night, the wail of the day
Snatches all my hope away
What I try to keep, but it just won’t stay
So close to my heart,
Leaving my soul,
My spirit unhold,
Hope, no hope.

–Julien Brown, age 10.