sorrow song by Lucille Clifton

            for the eyes of the children,
           
            the last to melt,
           
            the last to vaporize,
           
            for the lingering
           
            eyes of the children, staring,
           
            the eyes of the children of
           
            buchenwald,
           
            of viet nam and johannesburg,
           
            for the eyes of the children
           
            of nagasaki,
           
            for the eyes of the children
           
            of middle passage,
           
            for cherokee eyes, ethiopian eyes,
           
            russian eyes, american eyes,
           
            for all that remains of the children,
           
            their eyes,
           
            staring at us, amazed to see
           
            the extraordinary evil in
           
            ordinary men.