little children (revised)

little children
little children
learning to jump with two feet
barely making it off the ground
only to fall to your knees
roll around and laugh heartily

little children
little children
you put hand to mouth
arms taut around mommy's leg
with clamorous wails breaking the glass
between the haves and have nots

little children
little children
boisterous in the park
drawing master pieces with chalk
and babbling to dogs
kicking balls and crumpling leaves
not realizing what it means as the sky turns dark

little children
little children
your pleas have not been delivered
successfully to Congress' soapbox
not persuasive enough
to bail you out of hunger
out of your home on four wheels
with over 100,000 miles

little children
little children
not understanding adult cares
dance to the chirp of birds
wave arms as the stereo blares
wrestless as your parents bicker about who
will watch you as they look for new jobs

little children
little children
with joy so pure
the potential for its loss
is catastrophically great
if our country does not heed your cry
salvation of the future could be too late

little children
little children
curled up on daddy's lap
as he narrates word for word
the story shared by his grandfather
of a future to come
when all the little children
gather together leaving out no one