Genius is born in all kinds of places,
in African, Asian, American faces.
In Europe among both rich and poor
it doesn’t just come to those who have more
money for teachers, tutors and schools
which prime their pupils with the proper tools
to soar into places, wielding power and clout,
while a humbler genius is simply shut out.

Genius takes root in every land,
in Bosnia, Brazil or in the Sudan.
In the midst of misery, famine and war,
it waits for someone to open a door.
For within the walls of poverty,
lie the glimmers of great possibility.

Bright-eyed baby in a mud brick home,
no heat, no light, no telephone,
warms hope-starved souls with her silent smile,
for they see something special in this child.

As she grows and blossoms with each passing day,
she clearly sees the world in a different way.
She finds patterns in numbers no others can see,
Elaborate lines of geometry
emerge in the sand under her careful hand
which no one in her village can understand.

On every test she surpasses the rest,
Her teachers know she is clearly the best.
Her questions reveal an inquisitive mind
that reaches for answers few people can find.

She dreams to soar above her poverty,
but her wings are clipped by reality,
as machete-armed soldiers storm into her world
slashing short the bright future of one little girl.

Genius dies quietly in so many places,
a withering sea of white, black and brown faces.
Though genius sprouts often, it rarely is found,
Eternally silenced, buried deep underground
in woods, in fields, in rivers, mass graves,
on migrant farms where kids work like slaves.
Genius ground down to dust in the mills,
in sweat shops, where hope and ambition is killed.
Not nurtured, nor noticed, never known to exist.
A child has died.  What did the world miss?

An answer to cancer? Exquisite work of art?
A leader who inspires nations to start
searching for solutions that lead to resolutions,
building hope and replacing disillusion?

Answers to questions no one will ever know
as long as senseless death tolls continue to grow.
Whatever it takes, we each must decide
how to help, heal, guide or provide
a piece of hope, no matter how small,
for our world’s future depends on us all.