Colouring beyond the lines

A Tribute to the Sudan Crisis

Eight year olds should be caring about unicorns, not guns.

Eight year olds should be crying about pencils breaking, not family.

Eight year olds should be dreading growing up, not murder.

Eight year olds should be running away from ‘monsters under the bed,’ not controlling people

wearing masks.

Eight year olds should be watching Tom and Jerry, not a hundred people die.

We all cry, laugh and rejoice

We do it during our classes and while teasing our friends.

They cry while watching a bullet go through someone’s head

They watch people die,

People get molested,

People get kidnapped.

Praying that they are not next.

We listen to our parents say, “You are too young to understand these matters.”

They hear their parents’ final whisper, “Run.”

We may be part of two different societies,

Two different upbringings.

But at the end of the day

We’re all just eight year olds who want to colour beyond the lines till we reach old age.

Written by Urvi Agarwal

Edited by Aditi Tarafdar

Illustrated by Sreetama Mondal