Unpleasant

I spoke with a princess from a far away land
She shone with her beauty, every suitor asked for her hand

Her looks not the reason to be known far and wide
Instead the unbearable knowledge that she kept inside

Inquisitive as I am, I couldn't help but wonder
What things had set her mind off to wonder

She took me to the city, upon arrival we found
The unsightly things, hidden, unearthed by a sound
A young boy's whimpers, he wept in the street
The tale this lad told was despicable, not something you'd greet

"My sister," he cried, "She was taken by an evil man!"
Violation, deception, he did. "I'll never see her again.

Under his breath, we listened, for what was to be told
The young girl which taken, was destined to be sold.

Grief ran in rivers; he turned from us and departed
Too soon had it happened should these siblings be parted.

We continued our journey; seeking wisdom though painful
I wanted to stop, I had become refrainful
The princess she mentioned, visiting a bar
Noting that physical were not the only kind of scar.

We spoke with a man who had no dreams of tomorrow
His past had no luster, so he drank away his sorrow.

Shaking and murmuring, eyes so blood-shot
Looking at us, he said, "My wife-you are not."

"I never should've left her, or the children I had
If I'd just fixed my problem, I wouldn't be so sad."

We realized this man had thrown away his life
His actions have caused him to live his days in strife
Had he just watched his words and mended his wrong-doings
Would alcohol consumed form tears without knowing?

My heart sank with pity; far more was to be done yet
The following made souls feel a horrifying debt.

We witnessed murder, rape, and orphans through our travels
My mind, once so tight wound, began to unravel.

I realized with bitterness how oblivious I'd been
Refusing to acknowledge what had surrounded me then.

The ugliness in this world may not be pleasant to look at
The reality is we still need to take care of that
If we ignore all the things that aren't so nice
We'd be giving ourselves the worst of advice.