I saw him there

Bare toes curled into black earth

Hunching over the infected gutter

Where water runs the color of injustice.

I saw him there, so small and beautiful

Eyes heavy as the stifling tropical air

So small and beautiful, unnaturally aged

Tiny fingers gripping the plastic cup

He knew he had no choice

But to drink

Hannah Ferber is currently a student at Berklee.  This poem was written for the Poetry Workshop .