Children Living Underground
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:05 pm
Decided my index of poems is a little sad!!
I wrote this poem after a discussion with a family group who had lost a young daughter to a car accident. We were discussing the subject of the increasing death toll of young teens/adults on our roads, and what could be done about it. The girls' cousin referred to these children as 'Children Living Underground', and suggested I might write a poem to raise awareness. My first thought was "No way, I'm not going there!!" But on the long drive home the next day, the phrase kept going through my head, and this was what was written by the time I got home. I always hope it will encourage people to discuss and try to find solutions to the high death toll.
Children Living Underground
© Irene Conner 28/01/08
Children living underground – reflections of our time -
banished to this hinterland in absence of a crime.
Destiny? A lonely life, no family to hold;
youthful teens forever young who’ll never now grow old.
Children living underground – the affluent and poor.
Can we stop this exodus through life’s revolving door?
Money cannot keep them safe, our love is not enough.
Are there answers waiting here? Should we be getting tough?
Children living underground – are they not being taught
how to drive with safety, or inherent dangers fraught?
Power that is dangerous – why place it in their hand?
Do we give them licences before they understand?
Children living underground, invincible and strong
never have a second chance to tell us they were wrong.
Can we get the message through they’d want to leave behind?
Can we program safety for the young to bear in mind?
Children living underground should be our future nation,
looking to their future filled with pride and motivation;
looking to fulfil their hopes, to realise their dreams -
not for them this life cut short ‘midst broken hearted screams.
Children living underground – in cemet’ries they’re found,
country or the city – they are crying with no sound,
begging us for answers as we try to win the war,
begging us to stem the flow through that revolving door.
Children living underground – we cannot let them down -
listen to them calling us from every country town,
calling from the city. ‘Child, we hear your final call –
we will find the answers ‘ere too many others fall.’
I wrote this poem after a discussion with a family group who had lost a young daughter to a car accident. We were discussing the subject of the increasing death toll of young teens/adults on our roads, and what could be done about it. The girls' cousin referred to these children as 'Children Living Underground', and suggested I might write a poem to raise awareness. My first thought was "No way, I'm not going there!!" But on the long drive home the next day, the phrase kept going through my head, and this was what was written by the time I got home. I always hope it will encourage people to discuss and try to find solutions to the high death toll.
Children Living Underground
© Irene Conner 28/01/08
Children living underground – reflections of our time -
banished to this hinterland in absence of a crime.
Destiny? A lonely life, no family to hold;
youthful teens forever young who’ll never now grow old.
Children living underground – the affluent and poor.
Can we stop this exodus through life’s revolving door?
Money cannot keep them safe, our love is not enough.
Are there answers waiting here? Should we be getting tough?
Children living underground – are they not being taught
how to drive with safety, or inherent dangers fraught?
Power that is dangerous – why place it in their hand?
Do we give them licences before they understand?
Children living underground, invincible and strong
never have a second chance to tell us they were wrong.
Can we get the message through they’d want to leave behind?
Can we program safety for the young to bear in mind?
Children living underground should be our future nation,
looking to their future filled with pride and motivation;
looking to fulfil their hopes, to realise their dreams -
not for them this life cut short ‘midst broken hearted screams.
Children living underground – in cemet’ries they’re found,
country or the city – they are crying with no sound,
begging us for answers as we try to win the war,
begging us to stem the flow through that revolving door.
Children living underground – we cannot let them down -
listen to them calling us from every country town,
calling from the city. ‘Child, we hear your final call –
we will find the answers ‘ere too many others fall.’