soul hurts . . .

sex trafficking, say the sources
if not, hunger and thirst,
painful, bruise-filled sleeps on concrete floors
no plush toys to comfort them
not that any one could give back
what their mothers and fathers always have

yes, children are gone,
thousands have disappeared into thin air

supposedly . . .

yes, innocence has been robbed
never to return
even if some of those most precious would . . .

(c) hülya n. yılmaz, May 19, 2019L