The dark night approaches dawn
Twilight peeks through the window blind
Cheery birds chirp a lyrical tune
The bright sun replaces the moon

A child lies under the bed covers.
The tears long dried upon his face.
He had gone to bed hungry.
Now awaking, he was starved.
Bed bugs biting, the sounds of mice 
scurrying.

He was six years old, just starting school.
So he drug himself out of bed and stumbled
to the bathroom to relieve himself.
Dutifully, he washed his hands, and
brushed his teeth.

No breakfast this morning, no food in the fridge
His school was 20 blocks away, no bus fare.
So he put on a pair of worn tennis shoes,
a pair of torn jeans and a ragged tee shirt

Carefully tiptoeing past the drunk lying 
in the doorway,
he began his journey 20 blocks away.

Ten blocks up the street, he saw his mother
in a side alley. She was on her knees,
head bobbing up and down, the man towering
over her, like some monster from his frequent 
nightmares.

She could not see her son, 
who turned and ran,
the last ten blocks.