Today I saw a child silenced.
So matter-of-factly by the scolding of her mother and the beating of her father.
So abruptly - as if halted midway through a sentence, pleading to complete it.
Today I saw a child silenced.
She doesn't smile in her silence.
She doesn't even utter a sound, lest she be reprimanded.
Today I saw a child silenced.
I want to give her words.
I want to bring back her smile.
Today I saw a child silenced and realised just how easy it is to shut children up
And just how very hard - to have them speak, have them explore, have them question.
