WAR ZONE CHILDREN

Living in the United States
under parents
who are alcoholics, drug users, or simply poor
is worse than living through the Holocaust.
Because at least the people
who survived the Holocaust
lost their parents, their children,
their siblings.
They did not have
parents to worry about
financially or emotionally
as they started their new life.
They were able to
build themselves up
from nothing,
without that burden
of knowing that at home
they had parents
who disapproved of them.
The guilt of
taking food
from parents
who would give them an easy life
if only enough money was available,
but they were just too poor.
The holocaust survivors
did not have parents
who would criticize them
for spending their money
on cigarettes and alcohol
and going out with their friends
instead of making sure
their rent-free room was not messy.
All the holocaust survivors needed to do
was suffer the pain
of knowing what it was like
to lose your siblings and parents
to people who killed them,
and to never be able to get them back.
To never be able to say hello
I love you
I’m sorry.
What an easier burden they have
Than the nuisance
of imperfect still living parents.
And if you do agree that it is worse
when a regime kills your family
with ulterior motives for their own financial gain,
then why are you messing up your life?

WAR ZONE CHILDREN (V2)

Living in the United States
under parents
who are alcoholics, drug users, or simply poor
is worse than surviving a genocide.
Because at least the people
who survived a genocide
lost their parents, their children,
their siblings.
They did not have
parents to worry about
financially or emotionally
as they started their new life.
They were able to
build themselves up
from nothing,
without that burden
of knowing that at home
they had parents
who disapproved of them.
The guilt of
taking food
from parents
who would give them an easy life
if only enough money was available,
but they were just too poor.
The warzone survivors
did not have parents
who would criticize them
for spending their money
on cigarettes and alcohol
and going out with their friends
instead of making sure
their rent-free room was not messy.
All the survivors needed to do
was suffer the pain
of knowing what it was like
to lose your siblings and parents
to people who killed them,
and to never be able to get them back.
To never be able to say hello
I love you
I’m sorry.
What an easier burden they have
Than the nuisance
of imperfect still living parents.
And if you agree that it is worse
when a regime kills your family
with ulterior motives for their own financial gain,
then let's take this moment
to be grateful
and create an impetus
to make things better
with those that we have access to,
even knowing there will be imperfections.