Rubber Children Poem by Shannon Harney

Walking home in a concrete canyon
Four Feet find a girl,
nearly tripping over her arms.
Her arms are stretched far and thin;
one arm leads behind gated graffiti
one arm leads behind a temple of secrecy.
The graffiti averts her eyes
while priests whisper lascivious lies.
She is told she knows not what she knows.

Walking home in a concrete canyon
Four Feet find a girl,
a girl hiding secretly in a temple of graffiti.
A camera is pinned to her stomach,
improving the picture of vulnerability.
One day she will be free, or
one day she won’t want to be.
The camera develops her smile
while the templates rile the pile
She is told she is alone when she is not alone.

Walking home in a concrete canyon
Four Feet find a girl,
nearly blinded by her hands.
Her hands glimmer like gems;
one hand holds a rubber child gently and
one hand holds the nameless elderly,
Safely hiding off the trail
Tucked away behind an unclean veil.
She is told she they are unseen when they are not unseen.

Walking home in a concrete canyon
Four Feet find a girl,
nearly broken but for a word.
A word that’s been scrawled throughout her story.
One word hidden in graffiti
One word prayed secretly
One word in a developed smile
One word from the mouth of a child
But she is told her word is not her word.

Walking home in a concrete canyon
Four Feet found a girl