Little Soldiers Poem by Reshma Ramesh

Picked up from the playground
cornered,
stolen from their dead mother's lap;
sisters raped,
orphaned they are now, orphaned
human shields
mamma's little boys they are no more.

Now they belong to the lord, fight they must,
for their brothers,
brave heroes, armed are they for their nation,
or so they are told
no rhymes here but chants of destruction
fear, no fear
grenade and a gun on their tiny shoulders.

In air conditioned rooms, the law makers in designer black suits,
cry ' foul'
greed has had them, few more bucks to make,
children after all
in some god forsaken place, they can wait.

Whipped, scared, confused, without another way
they become little soldiers.
With the little one's blood the men clean their hands
Sleep, how can anyone sleep?
in the land where little soldiers have laid their lives


Inspired by the movie 24 Redemption which reduced me to tears.
May another child never be forced into war again.