Not Too Late

Not Too Late

Standing, Moving, Pacing
Hands in the air
Your emotions fill the room
Anger, desperation, fear
Crowds the air around us
And ricochets against walls, floor, ceiling
Tell me, What are you feeling?

I struggle to understand
As you speak with rapid-fire words
Pelting my flesh, mind, heart
With tiny bullets of fury, pain, and hate
You feel like hitting, killing, crying,
Running, screaming, like dying
You say It's too late

And I fear you are right
We've failed you
We, who are responsible
To teach, provide, raise you
Sent you to languish in sterile cells
Alone with your anger and hate
Statistics say It's too late

In silence, your wounds fester
Fear turns to anger,
Frustration to aggression.
Best intentions go awry. Your theme:
Misunderstood, Baited, Watched. You're
Always the one caught.  A criminal in training.
Your peers convince you It's too late for us all

Refuse to believe them, us, yourself
Be loud, insist, make us understand
So we will cease to ignore you, let you slide, 
And hear your voice, listen, guide your hand
Maybe we'll surprise each other
You'll survive, grab hold, break your fall,
And we'll realize

It's not too late after all