Poem by Alida Franco

Desert Cry

Children of Gaza
              forgotten by all
How has the world forsaken you.

Having no might
They starve you,
               bomb you,
                              drive you from your home.

Where once you
              ran, and played with
                             friends close, now scattered
              beyond collection.

Where families
              joined together
                              in celebrations gone.

The price to pay is dear.
               Too dear for
                              innocence lost without permission.

What right is given to those
              who commit the
                            unconscionable acts.

Children of Gaza
               I want you to know
This voice hears your cry
               Knows your suffering
               Each of you --
                            Not forgotten.

Children of Gaza
               live so that
                            you may tell your story.

THEME: Childhood Hunger

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Alida Franco’s academic training was in French/English Literature (BA: Oakland University) and Applied Linguistics/English (MA: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado). At a friends’ request, she recently attended a creative writer’s symposium, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and realized how much she had missed writing. She is now drawn to poetry because of the power of the word and its openness and linguistic flexibility in both structure and language.

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