God Help the Unheard Children

Children should be seen, not heard
Who made up this rule?
If this is how you truly feel
Then you Sir, are a fool.

Many children go unheard
We look, but pass right by -
We’re much too busy with our own
To question them, but why?

A child should always have a voice
And someone needs to care -
They should not be hidden away
With bruises everywhere.

So look a little deeper
Than the depths of your own skin -
Hear the unheard children
See the world they’re living in.

Sticks and stones can break bones
And sometimes parents lie -
They teach their children what to say
And we’re afraid to pry.

While we are safe and tucked in warm
With family at home -
Outside on the streets at night
More unheard children roam.

They may be dressed up pretty,
But they don’t often smile -
They’re bought and sold in private
And enjoyed for a while.

Then they’re back out on the streets
Just to earn a dime -
Selling only what they have;
Their bodies and their time.

No - silence is not golden
When it comes at such a cost -
God help the unheard children
When their innocence is lost.