“For Neglected Young Minds” by Lazola Pambo

Is it because I am young,

That my outcry falls on deaf ears,

Left to wander alone in this concrete jungle,

Alone with the chilly coldness of the night,

They call me a street kid,

Wrapped with black waste bags on the pavement

 

They pity me for no reason,

Saying I was ill-disciplined and abandoned my family

Treating me like dirt,

Swirling down the slimy drain

If aliens exist, then I am part of that race,

Forsaken to beg on an empty stomach,

Unemployment is my name,

 

Is it because I am young,

That my courage is seen as being stupid,

Stranded to accept an inferior mind state

What good is a man,

Be He rich or middle class,

That he rejoices in the fate,

Of a neglected young mind

 

***

Poet’s Bio- Lazola is a poet, essayist and novelist. His works have been published in the 2012 Short Story Day Africa, Poetry Potion Journal, 2012 Pendle War Poetry collection, Fundza Literacy Trust and Moonlight Songs for Pa Nelson Mandela anthology amongst others. Lazola’s hobby is reading ancient and modern literature.

Illustration by Alan Van Every (Featured image on the front page)

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