I See It All

by So Bitter

This is a poem about Hogwarts.

I see it all.

.

I am a fortress, built by those long passed

And mostly forgotten. I was built to house the needs of the few,

But I grew to help many more.

I remember the first as I do the last;

They come, hungry, and leave, often sated,

But some leave even hungrier than before.

I see it all.

.

I see the eyes of children,

From families who cannot afford the books their children read,

Whose robes are worn and tattered.

I see the children who, for the first time,

Get the gift of something firsthand.

I see the eyes of children,

From families who could not care less about their child's future,

Only their status.

I see children who will never use the knowledge presented to them.

I see the looks on the children's faces,

As they are welcomed into my warmth with open arms,

Forever protected by my watchful eyes.

I see it all.

.

I feel the sorrow of a child isolated from their only known stronghold.

I feel the joy of a child who learns what they once thought make-believe.

I feel the sinful pride of the teacher's talent,

The gift given to the receiver,

The knowledge passed to the next victim.

I am a force always receiving, always processing,

Always knowing what happens inside my womb.

I see it all.

.

I see the harshness of poverty, and the children who may not return.

I see the unfairness of the privileged,

And the children who need no teacher, they can do it themselves, thank you.

I see the cruelness of war,

And the children who have been ripped from my loving arms and into the arms of Another.

I see the looks on the remaining children's faces as they count the missing,

The friends who said they would write, but no word, not yet, not ever.

I see it all.

.

I see the children who will do great things,

Who will make a difference,

And I see them soar through the winds of life, ever changing, ever unpredictable.

I see the ones not ready to face the days ahead, but they persevere.

I see the few who spoil, who are not satisfied, who go about doing the things they questioned, They want to change, but do not understand, how can they?

They have not been on this earth long enough to understand why such things are,

How they are, or what to do about them.

I see it all.

.

I see how so many come back into my warm embrace,

Building me up, preserving me, loving me.

And I see those who destroy me,

Bringing me down, nothing more than a pile of rubble

In a place once considered exceptional, extraordinary.

I will make a good museum, a good gravesite.

I see

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Tell me what you think, please.