Behind Bars......... Poem by Merlin Mwaura

Clutch in the morn of nine,
a little girl cries her tears out.
'Tis a school gate, wonder where her teachers are...
is this not the much spoken, girl child.
Her right of education infringed to me, 'tis my view.
How else do you explain this 10yr old,
clutch on rusty bars in this cold.

It is my folly not,
that am discovered the error of our ways,
or some instructor named: Teacher!
but that my folly lies in,
not intervening into this anomaly.

You see...
I ask myself questions, the nature of which...
revealing to me, better manners of handling the poor child.
That i may, if brave...
Proceed forth,
and provoke the fury of the school Principal.
Demand that the punishment, of whatever omision
she is comit,
or commission she is omit.
Deservingly requires....that regardless of the faults,
it is prevalent that she is informed of this world.

That this world has sins, that need her be of an intelligent wit...
that no wits at all...is marking her another waste,
the damned of our lot.

I percieve that am no different..
simply because i did not place my concerns,
where they were most appropriate.
If you,
have felt the same, condemn me or the Teacher!
...or have done nothing
where nothing was undeserved...
where something could have been?
of possibles,
an' never hacking them.

Then like me,
like her....

You are behind bars.