the children of the revolution
portrayed as the saviors
their picture painted on the eternal canvas
but they never had a choice
they never saw the sun
never felt what we feel
faces streaked not with a smile but with slashes of coal
backs hurting not from playing all day but from carrying weights heavier than themselves
feet sore not from playing tag but from walking for hours on end
never resting
trapped in a perpetual life
an inescapable cage
built up from empty promises and troubled times
everyone high off the cruelty and pain
but no one with the courage to stop it
for all the young spirits are trapped
waiting for the last ball to drop
the shortest straw to be pulled
for everyone to wake up and see what’s right in front of them
so they wait
wait for the day they can call something their own
wait for the day they can be whole
wait for the day they can go home
for good
so yes, they were saviors
but at what cost
for the children of the revolution were never really children at all
portrayed as the saviors
their picture painted on the eternal canvas
but they never had a choice
they never saw the sun
never felt what we feel
faces streaked not with a smile but with slashes of coal
backs hurting not from playing all day but from carrying weights heavier than themselves
feet sore not from playing tag but from walking for hours on end
never resting
trapped in a perpetual life
an inescapable cage
built up from empty promises and troubled times
everyone high off the cruelty and pain
but no one with the courage to stop it
for all the young spirits are trapped
waiting for the last ball to drop
the shortest straw to be pulled
for everyone to wake up and see what’s right in front of them
so they wait
wait for the day they can call something their own
wait for the day they can be whole
wait for the day they can go home
for good
so yes, they were saviors
but at what cost
for the children of the revolution were never really children at all
Artist Statement
I was inspired to write this poem when we learned about child labor in class. It astounded me what children went through during the Industrial Revolution in this country and worldwide throughout time. I drew from the fact that the children that worked in the factories during the Industrial Revolution in the US served as a platform for the building of this country, but these children were forced into this work and many died or were severely injured. I wanted to draw attention to this issue since child labor is still a huge issue in many countries today.
I was inspired to write this poem when we learned about child labor in class. It astounded me what children went through during the Industrial Revolution in this country and worldwide throughout time. I drew from the fact that the children that worked in the factories during the Industrial Revolution in the US served as a platform for the building of this country, but these children were forced into this work and many died or were severely injured. I wanted to draw attention to this issue since child labor is still a huge issue in many countries today.
