I write this poem for my little sister
who still cries whenever an elderly
reminds her of her late grandmother
She cannot stop the tears long after the memories have assaulted her mind
It leaves her gasping for air and courage.

she knows that her loved ones
love her unconditionally
and she knows she love them back in the same way
even if they were in another realm that she would not enter,
not for a long time.

I write this poem for my baby brother
who has not seen reality for what it really is.
He still believes in the good in every person
and he does not understand the news
that tells him of deaths, murders and acts of terror

His friend's race or religion
or even their ****** orientation
don't matter to him as long as they are
funny, nice and friendly.
At the end of every arduous day,
it is the innocent spark in his eyes
that remind me that i was once naive about this world too.

I write this poem in the hopes that when they grow up
to be an angsty teenager or a bubbly youth
their hearts would stay pure and open
and not cracked like all of us.
I hope no girls will break my brother's unguarded heart
I hope my sister would still walk this earth, seeing with rose-tinted glasses.

I write this poem for these children
who were just like us,
before we became yet another cynical adult.