For every broken heart

use your words

not your hands

say stop! I don’t like that

I’ve said these words

every day

for months and even years

to children in my care

as countless children across the world

were stripped of their precious childhood

their education

their dreams

their hopes

their homes

their family

their safety

their very existence

how can I continue

how can I still believe

how can I not drop to the ground

in agony and despair

how can I care for a few

when the rest

are being erased

the hypocrisy 

the sharp contrast

the hidden lie

has been killing me 

much faster than

one day at a time

***

but I will stay and teach

for the strength of my parents

and thousands of people suffering

around the world 

for the resilience of nature

for the hope of peace

for freedom

for the love of animals

for the beauty of trees, flowers and sunsets

for as long as I can

for every stained backpack

for every broken doll

for every torn notebook

for every shattered imagination 

for every broken heart