A Face Without A Name

• Arshya Kulkarni, Grade 9
• Poetry
• 2014

What could she tell you about her life? How would you understand?
You don’t know her world, her world that is filled with a deafening quiet,
All she’s ever known are mouths moving without a word,
She stands there unable to voice her frustration, unable to hear yours.

What could she tell you about her life? How would you understand?
You don’t feel the distance, the distance that guards all others from her,
It lingers behind her, everywhere she goes,
No matter how hard she pushes, it doesn’t budge.

What could she tell you about her life? How would you understand?
You don’t see her reach out; your world is blind with eyes!
You turn your face, not meeting her eyes, not wanting to see her pain,
But you know there’s a mountain of agony building up in her heart.

Can you understand what this child is trying to tell you?
Do you hear her screams of silence in your loud, ignorant world?
Or is she just a face without a name to you?
Just a face without a name.