with thousands of words
one hundred twenty letters
high schoolers shocked me

today? long boarding
last year? three mile water walk
in refugee camp

fathers left for dead
or years without their mothers
fear crossing borders

Somali warlords
Thai school beatings, civil war
their innocence lost

dreams to bring back peace
to a country they escaped
(and to pass my class)

whirlwind of worlds
sit in six columns, five rows
can i reach them all?

free education
earned with a blood-torn tear trail
worth every penny