4 more children came this month

or were trapped on their way.

In the charcoal under-sketch
this boy seems safe.
But the rough twine…
…twisted across 
branded burlap bags…
…cut into the canvas where
the child’s hands can grab.
And now we see he is caught…
like the baby clutching ropes
last month.
Next, this preliminary sketch of a little girl
seems timeless in its softness.
Her friend’s worry seems eternal too.
Their faces are completed with pastel.
Then we realize:
The two little girls hold signs they made,
trying so hard for us to like them.
They break my heart.
Finally for this month,
a close-up of this sketch shows
how charcoal and pastel merge
to portray a baby…
…who only wants to go home
(seen in the preliminary cut-out canvas).
Mounted on a coffee bean bag,
Their story is revealed:
The baby doesn’t understand
why Mama took her and ran
with nothing but the clothes they wear
in search of sanctuary.
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