I am that child who watched in horror
as a policeman shot and killed my
Father.
I am that child gunned down
at school; my last words were,
“Help me! I don’t want to be here!”
I am that child tortured and beaten
and left in a field to die because
I am gay.
I am that child who listens
fearfully as a rich white lady
on TV says that my life does
not matter.
I am every child who has ever gone to
bed hungry
And cold
And homeless
And illiterate
And sick
Because of the evil of adults who know what
they do.
And If I grow up I will shit on your streets
And feed your prisons
And live as evidence of your contempt for life
And the human spirit
And your bestial need for more.
I am the battered face of your hate.
Look at me!
Poem and Image (c) Rob Goldstein 2016
This is so deeply disturbing and unfortunately so true. SAD!
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I wrote this the day of Philando Castile’s murder. He was murdered in front of his daughter. She was with her parents on a family outing. This is what makes human evil so violating. It intrudes on us as we innocently assume we are safe.
I saw Philando Castile’s murder through the eyes of his daughter and the poem bled out.
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This blew me away. Horrific, Rob! our children are our future –
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Yes. Depriving our children of food, shelter, medical care and educations is a crime against the future.
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Moreover , it is a crime against what little humanity is left in the world.
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Yes.
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Reblogged this on Climbing Mount Crazy and commented:
this suffering child must express himself everywhere. please share Robert Goldstein’s poem to express your sorrow and sympathy to the child he was. Excellent work.
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Powerful. I’m sharing.
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Thanks for sharing
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Reblogged this on Nesie's Place and commented:
Had to share!
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Thank you!
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Your words are heartbreaking. Nothing tears my soul apart like the pain of a child. I love children, mine, yours, all of them. The child I was and am hurts for the child you were and are. I hope your poetry heals you.
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Thank you…I hope that you find a treatment that works for you.
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so powerful Rob!
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Thank you!
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This gave me chills. So powerful.
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Thank you, Laurel…I appreciate your comment. I despise the fact that our children must suffer while the people who are supposed to be the adults behave like spoiled children.
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Yes…and why don’t those adults realize that it is our children who will inherit this Earth? They’re ill prepared. They have no compass….and all because of selfish….”adults.”
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As unfortunate as it is, a large number of bad parents have addiction problems. Many times when the awful parents become sober they are totally different . Mental illness commonly runs alongside addiction. I understand both sides of the coin. Each is devestating. By being an opiate dependent in recovery, and a sufferer of Bipolar type 2, the type of parent I am depends on the day my Brain is having.
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I can’t speak from personal experience. I have never been remotely attracted to drugs or alcohol, but my son is an alcoholic. He inherited it from his daddy and his daddys’ mama. The few times he has managed to stay sober for a period of time, he is the most wonderful person you would ever meet. When he’s drunk, he’s not violent or nasty but he will steal anything he can get his hands on. He has a small son that I am afraid he will never get to know.
Hats off to you for being in recovery. I wish you strength and happiness. It won’t be an easy road, as you know, but I have high hopes for you.
Sending hugs. 🙂
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I am so glad you were smart enough to stay away from alcohol and other drugs. Many people would run stright to them if they went through what you did. That is impressive and gives me hope that others will make good choices. Detective Joe Kenda on the ID channel says this about drugs : ” Don’t start, don’t do it. Then you won’t have to figure out how to quit.”
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I watch him! I have always thought I must be missing a gene or something. I had my first drink at 55 and would have preferred a glass of milk.
I had hoped at least one or two of my children would get that gene…but they didn’t.
They all drink and they have all smoked pot. One of them is a full-fledged alcoholic and another one is on her way.
Of course, in their eyes…and their precious daddys’ eyes…there’s something wrong with me. 😰
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Reblogged this on Survivors Blog Here.
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Very powerful and deeply moving.
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Very compelling…Karen
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Thank you, Karen!
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Wow! I couldn’t agree with you more. A sad commentary on our society.
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Thank you. I don’t know how other people cope with the shock of watching two men murdered for simply existing…I hope that people don’t do what they did with sight of the mentally ill homeless. Shock turned to apathy and apathy became blaming the victim.
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Wow
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Thank you SonniQ! 🙂
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Wow that is powerful!
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Thank you–I decided not to worry about making it perfect…I had to get it out in order to get back to my blog…Thank you for the comment!
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It was perfect enough and it touched me so I’d say mission accomplished!
🙂
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It is perfect.
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Thank you so much!
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