Cages

Cages

A Poem by Carlos Lorenzo Estrada
"

In our silence we give consent to the cruelty put upon others. No nation whose foundation is based on diversity and acceptance should ever be apathetic and indifferent to the child seeking home.

"
Cages

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 


"Not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by 
offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human
memory. And in denying their humanity we betray our own."

-American Jewish writer and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel 



I am haunted by pleading eyes of a child
They cast upon me behind cold steelbars
Seeking comfort and recognition of humanity 
Disillusioned, frail, and devoid of childlike wonder. 

In their eyes I am taken back to Sunday mass
Years past where voice speaks in shroud of white
"Care for the stranger as you would your brother 
For loving the least, you will have loved the greater."

I am haunted by saddened eyes within cages
Small little hands pressed against callous metal
Voices too soft and strained from tears to be heard.
Silent cries yearning for humane embrace.

"When you needed shelter I gave you a home.
And when you were sad I comforted you.
when you were abandoned I took you into my arms."

I am haunted by the faces of children in cages 
the same eyes as a child behind barbed wire at Auschwitz 
The same eyes as a native child on the trail of tears
The same eyes as a child in a Japanese internment camp
The same eyes as a child born into slavery

"Trust not the laws of man for only God knows truth
You shall be judged by the wickedness of your heart
For I am in the leper, in the beggar, in the stranger
And In the child."

I am haunted 
I am haunted 
I am haunted

I am.

© 2021 Carlos Lorenzo Estrada


Author's Note

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada
Feel free to leave your thoughts and many thanks for taking the time to read this work. I truly appreciate it.

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Reviews

This is heart wrenching and powerful writing Carlos. Children suffer as the result of actions by adults and it is horrendous to think that the ones that need love and nurture most are often at the back of the queue. Will it change? I doubt it. It has always been this was and that is what is so depressing. Thank you for being a voice for little people.

Chris

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Chris for the kind words. I feel we are at inflection point in history. Much like the arti.. read more
Chris Shaw

2 Years Ago

Always welcome Carlos.
Haunting, wrenching, reminding us it's up to each of us to assist the innocent and weakest among us.
A poignant message, so well written!
Dylan

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Dylan for your comment on this piece. This is a simple reminder that we have far to go as .. read more
Wow, extremely powerful. Both the underlying message and metaphors concerning the traps of society our children fall into all too often albeit physical, emotional or psychological or all of them at once, could not be more woefully or accurately expressed throughout. Great job ! I truly felt this one.

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Brian for your thoughts on this poem. It was a difficult write because it really calls upo.. read more
It never seems to end
Although darkness exists everywhere, I continually thank whoever for being born where I was

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Dave for your thoughts on this poem. You are absolutely right it really never seems to end.. read more
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MCS
I too am haunted by what I’m seeing, hearing daily in the evening news.
Sadly, our species seldom learns from its past.
Thank you for this eloquent piece of writing.


Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you for your thoughts and comment I truly appreciate it. As a supposedly civilized society we.. read more
Wow. What a wonderful and poignant write this is my friend. ("Care for the stranger as you would your brother For loving the least, you will have loved the greater.") So very true. Thank you for these words. ~Sharon

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Sharon for your thoughts on this poem. Though I am agnostic now I still retain the better .. read more
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.
It's a passionate write about the children who were detained due to various circumstances or caged due to political upheavals.But they should be treated with utmost care and love as innocence can't be guilty! When we treat everyone with love and empathy then the world become so peaceful .

Thank you so much for this beautiful poem

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you so much for the comment my friend. I agree with every word you have said. It still boggles.. read more
Wow, that was exquisite. Such deep meaning. Yes, as Jesus said, "In as much as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." I hope that the children who were detained and separated from their parents at the border will be reunited and cared for.

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Shelley for your comment on this poem as well as empathetic heart for the children who suf.. read more
Shelley Warner

2 Years Ago

Yes, I'm glad you're giving voice to this issue. I like that you call upon your faith as part of you.. read more
Thank you Carlos for writing about inhumanity the world over; This poem has such heartfelt words for bringing back memories of how children suffered through the years, from slavery, to the Holocaust, to the Indians,to the Mexicans and others crossing our border. If you just look into the eyes of suffering, you will see through to their pain. And yet we let them suffer, and die without grace. The expressive eyes tell all and such inhumanity shall never rise again. Unfortunately it is still around in places all over the world, children are not animals and should not be behind steel rails nor locked up in cages. They want what should be rightly given to to them.
Wow, a strong poem!
Best, B.


Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you Betty for your kind thoughts on this piece. It is my hope that these words speak to the hu.. read more
Betty Hermelee

2 Years Ago

and understanding of the terrible problem!
You're very welcome Carlos
Best,
B.
The sufferings of children in the great upheavals of our times are the most painful to look upon. They are the most vulnerable of all, because they have no power to avoid the catastrophes that have befallen them. Wars and other causes of displacement continue, and there seems to be no way of helping the smallest victims. Only a change in human values might make a difference. Good luck with that.

Posted 2 Years Ago


Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

2 Years Ago

Thank you John for your thoughts on this piece. I so agree with your assessment but I'm an eternal o.. read more

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Added on September 15, 2021
Last Updated on September 15, 2021
Tags: love hope faith brotherhood

Author

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada
Carlos Lorenzo Estrada

salinas , CA



About
If I can say something worth saying that makes just one person think about others...I'll try. The greatest storyteller was my grandmother. I miss her stories. Also, I would like to add to please pay.. more..

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