We Are the Forgotten
Calvin Henaku, Class of 2015
People prone to derision
Who can only dream to envision
A world where there is a way
To not worry from day to day
Others look around with shattered sight
Ignorant of our plight
The cycle of the impoverished
To which millions of people are chained
Others think it’s not their fault
Think they’re powerless to stop the assault
Some they see on the streets
But most are discreet
The latter struggle to provide
For children, family in which we see pride
Poverty rages on all levels
From extreme to slight
But it is not any less profound
And always hard to understand
What we go through
They’ll never know
They’ve taken a step
But where are we left
When others forget
The ones left bereft
A dearth of hope
Left with fear
Of an intimation
For another generation
We're filled with desperation
Mixed with exasperation
And are left grasping
For a future that's collapsing
Are we condemned
Condemned to bear poverty without end
Poverty is running rampant
But society controls to what extent
It’s easy to think
But harder to feel
The pain and struggle
Of those in the extreme
Swollen nights alone with cold
Always left out of the fold
Often living without care
Except on occasions which are rare
The wheels are turning
Poverty is running
We are starving
And it’s not stopping
We are the forgotten
We are forsaken
We all have lives
We all have stories
We can never forget
Never forget the adversities we’ve met
Our struggles...unforgettable
The memories indelible
Imagine the pain of that special day
Where we have a baby
And the feel of the heartbreak
When it’s given away for its own sake
Moments meant golden
Just left as a token
that function
As a reminder of compunction
Poverty isn’t just a state of being
It's wondering
Will I eat tomorrow
Or will we even have a place to stay
That all those tangled
Will be extricated
From the web of impoverishment
Which is forever extant
Who are we?
It’s not easy to see
But keep your eyes opened
And you might be surprised
We are the forgotten
We know we’re not remembered
But we still have hope
That one day, that might change