Lost Childhood

Children holding guns instead of toys

Their heads filled with confused thoughts

Their hearts filled with mistrust

Their souls a barren wasteland

Their childhood is forgotten,

Ground into the dust of lost dreams…

Splashing each other in the river

Amidst laughter and shouts of joy

Sitting on the branches of a tree

And relishing its juicy fruit

Looking into the distance

And building dreams of the future

Mimicking the swagger of a superstar

Singing and dancing to the latest hit song

Playing pranks in the classroom

And cricket in the fields

Flying kites in the wind

And letting your imagination soar…

Where have those days gone?

The eyes that held a sparkle

Now stare unseeing

Mirroring the blankness of the mind

The numbness of the heart

The darkness of the soul

Children no longer; nor adults yet

But in a zone of their own

Beyond recognized boundaries.

So they go on, obeying orders blindly

Killing without thought or mercy

Surviving the best they can

In a violent and vile world

Till one day, already deadened,

They die.