In Your Blog Is The Child Singing 'Why? ' Poem by RIC BASTASA

Let us view again the video
of that child singing

why?

he did sing well
and i am touched because his eyes are fierce and he means
every word that he is singing, why?

why this war? what does he as a child do to make him a man?
why does he have to hold a gun and kill?
why does he have to be a soldier and be killed
and have his mother mourn for him?

indeed why? he did sing well and his song was like a stab
of light that pierced my eyes that made my heart bleed

he did sing well with his hands complete with fingers pointing
to us

indeed why? what does it take for children to become men and women like us?
what do they really have to do? why do they have to follow our steps?
what do they have to become like us?
what are we giving them? and what are they taking?
at what cost? at whose expense?

indeed, Ramona, the child sings well more than we do as children once
indeed, i remember
and i do not really want to go back there anymore

i have become everybody else.