Friday, January 11, 2013

1 in 25

The article said 1 in 25
4% left standing in the dark.
Lost without light to find their way
wandering upon a road alone.
Broken maybe, some, maybe not
but sad enough and worse they cannot see.
That moments pass and things will change again
so many times they won’t remember this.
Vision narrowed by silence
and the pain of being alone.
Whether real or self-imposed
it’s irrelevant.
It’s real in the moment it’s felt
and true in the moment it’s lived.
And the silence screams louder
than anything else ever will.
1 in 25 can’t see tomorrow
of the 4% how many of them will?
With 96 others taking all of our attention
those 4 will slip quietly through the cracks.
The cracks that have shaken their foundation
the broken pieces they can’t seem to fit.
Together again, the pieces form a puzzle
but connecting the dots does not appeal to them.
What do we have to do to hear them
to know which one will be 1 of the 4?
How do you see 1 in 25
when 96 others are currently loud and clear?
Listen to the silence and the pauses
listen for the things not being said.
Look beyond the shadows into darkness
and be amazed at what is shining brightly within.
 Clear a single path amongst the clutter
wipe away the dust with your bare hand.
Sit amongst the pieces that are scattered
and you will see them fit together once again.


*Written in response to an article on teen suicide statistics.* 
Shared at dversepoets.com

 Open Link Night ~ Week 79
 


4 comments:

  1. even 4% is too much...to slip through the cracks and go unnoticed...ugh so high really...teen suicide...so sad..so much life before them...strong write

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  2. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. You address this so beautifully!

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  3. strong piece, outstanding close here. Using poetry for awareness is a great use of talent. Thanks, enjoyed the way you wrote this.

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  4. powerful angle... the repetition of the numbers... a strong write indeed. slipping quietly through the cracks... yes.

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