To the Child of a Broken World

I do not know who you are.

I’ve seen a glimpse of you
In Africa, wandering through an empty village
In Mexico, scavenging for food in a landfill
In Romania, rocking back and forth in the shadows of a warehouse
In Kosovo, trying to call a refugee camp home.

I will never see your smile
or hold your hand
or know the color of your eyes

But I love you.

No matter where we are and who we are and what we are
Your soul is the same as mine.

We feel the same triumphs
the same sorrow
the same joy
the same despair
the same hope.

Even though I do not know who you are
I know your soul

It is the same as mine.

Simona Patange
Age 18
Westview High School
The Aftermath, Advanced Creative Writing