My Friends Are In The Slums

George

I've seen the slums in photos,

I knew of poverty and disease and death,

I knew there were those less advantaged than I,

So why am I fighting back tears.

I knew of piles of rubbish in streets,

I knew of streams running brown with dirt,

I knew of the disabled and young living on the streets,

So why am I fighting back tears.

We are greeted with smiles and warmth,

We play games which I knew as a child,

We are waved farewells by families in balconies,

I know why I am fighting back tears.

The children cling to us in wonder,

The adults look on approvingly,

The teenagers gossip behind our backs,

I know why I am fighting back tears.

My friends are going hungry for days,

My friends are knee deep in faeces,

My friends are in the slums,

I am no longer fighting the tears.