As I sat and listened to him speak I was lost,

He was lost

Too young to know how to beat the system so he lost

His voice sounded so familiar

Like a brother, cousin or friend

And I knew how this all would end

Fumbling on his words he tried to explain himself;

Who, what, when, where and why at the that time of night

The barrister quizzed him to see how much he knew

But every time he replied the story sounded new,

He had trapped him

And there was no way he could get out

I wanted to save him but he was too deep in it

I could only watch and listen

To the sound of regret in the young boy's voice

He didn't mean to do it,

Did he?

Like the barrister I had to question

Where is the hope for this boy?

Will he see a brighter day tomorrow?

Will he learn his lesson?

Like many, he's lost in a world that doesn't want to help him

And if he isn't lost in the system

He'll find no place in this world and lose himself