Replying to Blood, Murder, Tears... Africa
So i was living in africa and working at a hotel and surfing alot. On my time off i worked with street kids and one kid was living in a hell beyond the rest. here is his story. I just think people need to know that beyond the curtains of thier privileged lives in america, millions of people are suffering and dieing.
life on the street is extremely hard. It's a haven for vice and many of the kids who live in its realm come face to face with serious problems, problems like: violence, drug/alcohol abuse, neglect, and rape. Every one of the kids have I worked with has his or her own personal story of how the streets have been cruel to them. But amongst all these poor souls, there is one child who has seen the worst of what the streets have to offer. That soul is my sixteen year old friend Deon. A broken spirit with a ghostly face filled with scars from knife fights and chemical burns. A face with dull and lifeless eyes and yellow teeth rotting and stained. A poor kid with a face I had trouble looking at for a very long time, because it over whelmed my senses.
At a very young age my friend Deon saw what no one is ever supposed to see. He saw his parents get killed by his uncle... His uncle shot deons father in the head, and wounded his mother just long enough for Deon to hold her for a few moments until she passed away. The way Deon explains it is as follows. "I held my mother in my hands and prayed to god to save her. I was crying and my arms were covered with blood. My mother could barely speak and she was moaning from all the pain. I held her for as long as I could."
Now Deon walks through life very quiet and numb. At times I think his soul has just vanished and left his body to struggle on its own. But beneath his face and tortured soul, there is still a fire waiting to be rekindled. I have gotten to know Deon very well and at times I see some brightness radiate through his gloomy eyes. He might share a smile or even a laugh. I tried to give Deon love and a friend and things were going really well until a few days ago. Some of the other kids starting calling Deon ugly and disgusting and he just flipped and pulled a knife out. He tried to stab one of the smaller kids, and a volunteer who tried to sedate him.
That was the last time I ever saw Deon. He left with teary eyes and threw a brick in deviance that nearly hit someone. He has been known to be suicidal and some rumors are flying around that he has finally ended his life.
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