today no poem. on the front pages of today’s newspapers, august 22nd 2013, i see the pictures of countless children wrapped in funeral shrouds, victims of chemical war fare in syria. i have seen too many dead children in all kinds of wars over the last decades. in 1989 the nations of this world – save two – have ratified the convention on the rights of the child and therefore promised to protect the children of this world during peace time and during war to the best of their ability. we, the international community, we , the people of this world, have promised that we would at least protect all of our children from the dreadful consequences of our universal greed, stupidity and our inability to live with each other in peace as nations. we have promised this because in our hearts we know that we will be found wanting, all of us, any one of us, if we do not acknowledge that children’s rights are human rights, that we are not deserving of any peace if we do not care for, shelter and protect all children regardless of their nation or social origin, their birth or status, their language, race or religion. these days we fall awfully short of our promise.