A Poem for Childhood

This poem was written for a child who died.
For me, it draws images of all the children, in all the refugee camps, who never had a chance to have this. To experience life in all its simplicity and wonder. Never got to be children, or have a childhood.
All the children who grow old too fast.

Language at 19 Months
for Corbin and Karith

things are very simple here
yes means yes and no is flexible
we know this

pain hurts we do not want that
but when it comes we cry
i curl up somewhere and wait

you see laughter is sure to follow
we laugh because we’re happy
sometimes it’s hard to laugh alone

the sun is bright here
it burns my eyes and nose
a girl gives me her hat

she’ll be my friend forever
forever is longer than we’ll live
she’ll be my friend forever

there’s glitter here too
the darkness even sparkles

colors are colored a thousand times thick
someone smiled at me
her skin must have been layers and layers

and oh how i wanted to match
so i hugged her face with my hands
she left glitter on my fingers

a woman closes her eyes and talks to the sky
says she wants to see its face
i do
-Kohleun