I am a lily, and you are a dove,
Destined to blossom and destined to fly above.
Yet, how can I blossom with no water and light,
And how can you soar, wings clipped, in this fight
A gilded cage they craft, illusions so fine,
Yet beneath the gold, it’s metal that binds.
They plucked my petals, stripped your feathers too,
Chained us with threads unseen, an insidious brew.
Your actions, brushstrokes, objectify our youth,
Assigned us names, played us as pawns, a ruthless truth.
They asked, ‘What will you be when grown up, pray?’
Yet long before eighteen, life’s road grows dim and gray.
In war’s cruel dance, where innocence is the cost,
Children, once lilies and doves, too often are lost
Once a lily, once a dove in skies above,
Now a black rose, a reflection of a raven’s love.
Take that as you please but we beg you to see,
The lilies and doves you once used to be.
We seek not pity or pledges hollow,
But a plea to cease this game, compassion to follow.
We were lilies and doves, innocent and free,
Cease before more innocence fades, let children be.
Debate for Peace 