Rough draft of an epiphany snatched out of the dusty dirty air onboard a school bus full of screaming children.

So, I must relate the reasonings of this blog. I work at a children's summer activity day camp. I deal with children daily and am pretty much used to all they can come up with. However, this morning I walked in and was told two parents had been in and were seriously concerned due to the fact that two of our campers had been involved in sexually harassing other children. The incident that was related to me that most concerned me was that a younger child (about 5 years old) had heard two fourth grade boys talking about raping a girl. The younger child went home and asked his parents what the word 'rape' meant. Needless to say this a very serious situation. These two boys are basically brainwashed. They say that sports are for 'wussies' and that guns, knives and violence are cool. They are very knowledgeable about wars, but also think that everyone from the middle east is a terrorist and that if you are not a republican you are a bad person. So most of my day was spent brooding over the future of my youthful charges and whether they would care about changing our world for the better. Now those who know me best (Though you be few in number) know that when I become this pensive I often turn back to my roots as a writer . Today was no different. So in the back of a bus in a haze of children's voices, asphalt dust and afternoon rays I penned these few lines. True, tis awfully rough draft, and somewhat 'corny' but what do you expect? All I had to look at was cornfields anyway...

Man of the street
Living in a box with nothing to eat
Asks a rich man walking by:
Could you spare a quarter
for a man a little poorer
than yourself?
Times are tough
The world is rough
Can you feel what I'm saying man?
I'm down on my luck.

Rich man walks on by
So secure in his mind:

I wouldn't know
Wouldn't know
The state of things from down below
I've got a house on a hill, money in the bank
a six-figure pay check and gas in the tank.
Sure your life is unfair,
but tell me mister, why should I care?

In a far away country
On the edge of the sea
Same rich man
on a different street
watches a mother and daughter in a bakery.
As he starts to pay his fee
the woman grabs his hand
and voices her plea:

I never had a chance
Not for a sec
Denied an education
because of my sex.
I can't learn so I can't earn.
And I'll never be free.
But I look at my daughter
and in her I see
the hope of my nation
Do you know what I mean?

The rich man can only shake his head.

I wouldn't know.
Wouldn't know
The state of things from down below.
I've got a house on a hill and money in the bank,
an education from Harvard and gas in the tank.
You say your life is unfair,
But tell me miss, why should I care?

Same rich man, same business trip.
Spots a skinny little boy with blood on his knees

The boy runs up and begs for money as he cries:

My mother has too many mouths to feed

So I must dig through the trash

To find something to eat.

My belly is empty and I’m so hungry,

Please sir, can you help me?

The rich man shrugs:

I wouldn’t know

Wouldn’t know.

The state of things from down below,

I’ve got a house on a hill and money in the bank

Food on my table and gas in my tank.

You say your life is unfair,

But tell me little boy, why should I care?

Different man on a different street,

Sees a little girl so shy and sweet

Decides to ask her if she believes in love

She answers:

I wouldn’t know

Wouldn’t know

My daddy lives in this house on a hill.
He’s addicted to money

As my mother is to pills.

Love’s just something

I hear in fairy tales.

So I couldn’t tell you mister

I just wouldn’t know.