Ripples of a Third World

Ripples of a Third World Heartbreak

My eyes will open

And I will see the vibrant yellow paint that has coated the walls of my room

I will unwrap myself from the blue cotton blanket that swaddled me through the slumber of night

The sun will begin to rise

And I will prepare the first meal of the day

Because I know that one meal will not suffice

…

I once was young and foolish

Ungrateful of the clothes I wore on my back

Because the colors did not match my ideals

Ungrateful for the shoes that separated the soles of my feet from the snow and gravel beneath

Because they were not the brand my friends had worn

Ungrateful for the warm plate I was served

Because I desired cakes and sweets

…

Not once had it occurred to me

I am awakened by an alarm clock

And not by bombs

I sleep on a mattress large enough for two

And not on the ground covered in the ashes of loved ones and debris of my home

I walk into the kitchen knowing I will leave with a full belly

And will not have to scavenge for scraps just to ensure survival

…

I sat in school

And let my teachers pour different worlds into my ears

The wars and deaths

Only seemed relevant for the questions on my test

…

This was the year I had a revelation

My first heartbreak

I did not lose a significant other

But my soul had been shattered

…

My heart aches for the mothers and fathers who cannot ensure their children

Of another breath once they awaken from their rest

My heart aches for the mothers and father who cannot ensure their children that there will be a tomorrow

…

I do not know what the battlefield is like

Through the eyes of the children caught in the crossfire

Of the disputes of powerful men

They, too,  have met their first heartbreak

…

Born to a life filled with fees and fines

The children pay their undeserved debts

With their innocence and childhood

…

Politics, the parents

Citizens, the children

Weapons, the divorce settlement.