Can'T We Stop For A While? Poem by Marites C. Cayetano

Can't we stop for a while?

and hear the children's cry
hungry for love, hungry for food
no one to run to, nowhere to go
is there nothing we can do?

Can't we stop for a while?

and see the naked mountain
no birds that sing
no flowers that bloom
is there nothing we can do?

Can't we stop for a while?

and count the dead in the war
their future ruin
their family's mourning
is there nothing we can do?

Can't we stop for a while?
can't we just...stop for a while?