‘Mama’s World’ by George Gabara, age 14, Year 9, Soham Village College

mama once told me
there was a world with stars, marked in shame
where innocence was always engulfed in a flame
a flame where families were torn, and hearts turned into stone
in this world mercy was not known.

mama once told me
there was a world full of barbed wire, full of grey
where their hope was extinguished day by day
in the crowded train, their fate had been pre-sealed
heading towards camps where death was unconcealed.

mama once told me
there was a world full where children’s laughter was none but hold
their stories of horror, frozen in the bitter cold
their eyes witnessed a starless night,
whilst their souls struggled to hold any light.

mama once told me
there was a world without sun,
their lives did not understand fun
mama tried to hold her soulless breath,
but the shower sprayed her only with death.

mama didn’t tell me
the only world was of one that stood still
a still world, where even butterflies didn’t want to enter
a chill world, full of starvation in the streets
a dull world, where disease and death plagued our souls.