In the shadow of forgotten alleys,
Where whispers of hunger softly tread,
Lies a world woven with silent cries,
And dreams that life has quietly shed.

The children play with broken smiles,
Their laughter a mask for tales untold,
In the dust of streets that know no end,
Where hope is a story long since sold.

Mothers sew with trembling hands,
Stitching futures with threads of pain,
While fathers seek the solace of dawn,
In a world of endless, pouring rain.

Yet amidst this sea of shadowed hearts,
A single flame of resilience burns,
A testament to the human spirit,
That in the darkest hour, still yearns.