I can't sleep!

The troubled soul’s cry

Echoes throughout the earth

From dusk to dawn.

The young girl

Cowers in the dark,

Dreading the opening door.

Threatened where she should be kept safe.

The mother clutches her children close,

Under the makeshift tent.

Driven out of the home she loved

By the wars of others.

The father stares at the ceiling

Dreading the bailiff’s call.

Totally out of resources

Is this the end of the line?

The schoolboy winces as the bruises stab

Dreads the dawn of another day,

Of jabs and jeering.

When will it all end?

The nightshift may yawn

With drooping lids,

But their ears stay alert

To the desperate call.

Assuredly, the day will dawn,

When darkness flees away

Secrets and crimes face the light

Peaceful sleep at last!