Runaways hiding in the abandoned warehouse,
Teenagers stolen, unwitting spouse,
Gangs and violence all around,
People disappearing without a sound,
Blood and drugs and stolen girlfriends,
Turf wars and kidknappings, is there no end?,
People vanish and are never found,
People hunt them down, like bloodhounds,
A world with knives at every turn,
People who live to watch things burn,
They never think about the consequences of their actions,
Just watch the news for the family's reactions,
Shoot old friends in the head because of a debt,
Slit a strangers throat because you don't like their pet,
Lock ememies in your bathroom; release them for money,
Beat them inch away from death; 'till they're crying for their mummy,
Tie a stranger to a raft and watch them drift out to sea,
When are these people going to wake up and see,
It's time gang members had an epiphany,
You can't lock people up and cover them in wee,
Karma says that bad things happen to bad people like them,
Every mean thing they've done, to them we will condemn,
Relentless bullying towards your colleagues and your peers,
You've had your brutal fun; it's the Day of the Disappeared.
A poem I wrote for the British Red Cross' Day of the Disappeared (August 30).