SAMANTHA In a world of fear, In a world of terror, Families being killed. In that one sacred hour, A young child, Drops a single flower. And a single tear falls down, It hits the ground. The look of bravery in her eye, She has survived all these years. But she fears, That she may die. Why all this hate? Why all of this horrible fate? She cannot help who she is, So why are they killing all of these kids? The innocence is taken from her eyes, She has lost many lives. Sisters, brothers, Fathers and mothers. She wonders, "Is this a dream?" She lies down, And goes to sleep. She wakes up in a wonderful place, A smile appears on her face. A place with no hate, She knows this is her true fate. Michelle Mercado 1997 Photograph credits: Pleiku Lake Child by Kenneth Hoffman