Goodbye

Street Children
Ted Ayson

¨A vessel amidst an ocean of indifference,
you see the world from a different stance.
From glassy eyes that has seen untold evils...
your cries from within are heard by no one.

Palms stretched out devoid of pride and spirit...
but nothing given, not even a passing thought.
Pangs of hunger grips you, but still you hope...
spare change from a kind stranger.

Suffer the children, whose innocence we rob...
whose future is as murky as the city sewers.
You lurk in the dark and travel restless highways...
where it leads to an unknown destination.

At the end of the dying day, you find no rest..
you lay your weary head on the street pavement.
Sleep dear child, and worry not about tomorrow..
I bid you goodnight and the sweetest of dreams.¨



I spent all day hanging out with two street children. Jose and Miguel. Although they will never know the impact that they had on me today, I remain shocked and changed after a wonderful, mindopening day.
At first sight, I was intimidated. They are very rough looking, appearing atleast twice their age and no one I would want to hang around with. But these appearances fade away almost instantaneously, as their roughness begins to fade and the child emerges from under their hard shells.
All day they clung to me. We laughed, we hugged, they confided in me, and we developed a five hour relationship that felt like they were a part of my family. It was hard to let them go, for me, and for them although they tried to hide it.
Four hours after saying goodbye to them, at 830pm, I remain sad. As we drove home from the all-day grafitti festival, Miguel clung to me, not wanting to let go of the love he was shown today.
But in an instant, he went back into his shell. He became tough again, back to his streetchild posture, and jumped out of the car. He didnt say goodbye, he just ran away.
I know I will see them again, they may not remember me. I have met them twice now. Things are always the same.
So I will remain the same. Appreciative of my time with them. Wishing I could do more for them. Thankful for the hugs, the smiles, and the love.