Ain't this Child a Person?
Ain't This Child a Person?
by A. Gagliardi
Ramble on about needs of the future -
the sins of the past,
the passion of youth -
so sure it won’t last.
Rhetoric don’t feed hungry mouths,
nor put a roof over their heads.
And ain’t this child a person?
Your money doesn’t darken the door of their needs,
your banter glides untouched over their heads.
We do the best with what we got.
Politicians plot--they plan and plunder.
Yeah, figures lie and liars figure.
And ain't this child a person?
Statistics tell little about
the realities of existence.
Budgets lay waste to any gains of the past.
What becomes of those who cannot be counted?
Where do homeless children go to find solace?
Ain’t this child a person, too?
You never had it so good-
and you tell us neither do we.
Where do we go when there’s no place?
How do we learn when there’s no space?
Social reform is for the idealists.
Ain’t this child a person?