Back to School

What sounds awoke you
This bright school morning
Did the alarm of screams and shouts
Start the day?

What tears have you shed
Waking from frightened dreams
To a more terrifying reality?

What fear have you smelled
In the dank hallways
And recesses of the place called home?

What covers the taste of longing
The lack of food
And the void of feeling
In an empty belly?

What can I do
When you come to me
Already overwhelmed by your senses?
What can I do
But smile and take your hand
And try to help you remember
While you forget.