He Raised the Flag

HE RAISED THE FLAG

They have promised
To change their lives,
They have promised
To end their pain.

He is five
And never had time to play,
He has a name
And a thousand questions.

He heard a noise,
His father kissed him goodbye,
He wanted to run,
His small body they will never see.

His father knew the outcome,
Their lives didn’t change,
Their pain didn’t end,
But the boy refused to die.

Now he lives on the streets,
Now he sees them all over,
Now he has a gun,
Now he is a man.

He raised the flag when he was a child,
Now he raises his voice for independence,
He never played when he was five,
Now he knows that politics is not a game.

Fausto Sicha
To my little friend, Rafael