In Memory

Something I put here
On this piece of paper,
Is something special.

It is my sadness,
It is my curiosity,
It is my way of conveying my emotions.

I ask my heart, my memories,
I have no power to ask my Dad;
I don't want tears.

Deep down my heart cries
Sadness will be promised to Dad,
I know my Dad,
And I know he is sad deep down.
I love him.
And I'm sure I would do the same if Grand Dad was here.

So I ask again,
Who was he?
Was he great, or bad?

Don't answer me,
For I know the truth,
The truth of him being great,
Noble.

You know,
I care.
I love Dad,
And even if he is not here,
Grand Dad.

Why?
Why didn't I see him?
Has God no mercy?
Dad loved him did he not?
I regret having a useless brain.

I know he is here,
Somewhere in Dad's heart and mine,
But does Mum miss him as much?

Oh Lord, I want answers!
The millions of questions in my brain demand.
But I know and hate the fact,
The fact is...
It is too late.


(This poem was finished on the 28th of October, 2009 at 9:39p.m AEST)

Child cruelty

“One day Niva's teacher hit her in class with a duster and the vice-principal made things worse by striking her with a bamboo stick. Niva was only 15 years of age and she was recently enrolled in Maryland Higher Secondary School. The humiliation the girl felt drove her to desperation and on 6^th June she swallowed Metacide, a pesticide. She died a slow and agonising death six days later in hospital.”- This is the news published on Nepali Times, a fortnightly magazine.

Those are the words that I am very familiar to. Everyday in the newspapers back in my country Nepal have something like this as their cover story. This in Australia is called child cruelty and is against the law to commit.

Child Cruelty is an issue that is concerning everyone around the world. Let us take countries like my own for example. Back there, there are no laws preventing parents or teachers from beating their children, but in Australia these laws are in place.

Child Cruelty also refers to neglecting a child and not providing him or her with proper food and water. Child Cruelty in any form is inhuman and a charge is laid if you inflict unnecessary pain to the child. You are likely to face at least two years behind bars for any form of child cruelty. In Australia if anyone touches a child against the child’s will, they have committed a crime.

In Nepal, people believe punishing children is a way of making them scared to do something wrong and. There is a saying ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ However, in my opinion it just slowly lowers the child’s self esteem which in no way whatsoever is a good thing to do.

But when we think it is an unlucky day here in a privileged country like Australia, let us think about children all around the world subjected to child cruelty.

(THIS SPEECH WAS AWARDED FIRST PLACE IN THE TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL CLAYTON NORTH SPEECH CONTEST)