for those who can’t

I think it was January of 2007 when I first learned about the Invisible Children in Uganda, and this is a poem I wrote in their honor.

Writing poetry is easy
when you have pencil and paper
when you have books you can read
and you’ve got what you need.

But write a poem when you
can’t spell your name
you don’t know who to blame
because your life’s been filled
with nothing but shame.

So this is a poem
for those who can’t write
for those who can’t fight
for those who must hide out
in the middle of the night.

This is a poem
for those who are scared
for those who aren’t spared
because the wealth we have
ain’t shared.

This is a poem
for the children who are dying
as governments keep lying
and we keep denying
that there’s anything we can do.

Yeah life may be hard
but writing poetry should be easy
for me and for you.