Published on 2026-06-30 by Skylar Strudwick
Life Sentences
Cell blocks wrapped in bodies
Paint tinted black
Skull and skeleton against each other
Barred from life
Stolen from the living
Chronicle apocalypse of leaving
Part pen part grave
See such neighbors walk the street
Brazen is life
Severed from the living
Child of our child
Present only in prayer
Switch their eyes for mine
Born away
Sentenced
A poem about the West’s turning of blind eyes to children and people in crisis, wishing thoughts and prayers, but were these children of the West, maybe things would be different. About how the West can allow or propagate suffering happening around the world and subsequently give people – including children – life sentences of sorts through inaction. We all have a responsibility to help each other.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s only and do not reflect an official position of the University of Minnesota, the Human Rights Program, or the College of Liberal Arts. As an institution of higher education that values and promotes free speech, civil discourse, and human rights, we welcome a variety of perspectives and opinions from our student contributors that are consistent with these values.
Skylar Strudwick (CLA '26) is a junior currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology with a focus on public policy and human rights. She serves as a member of the 2024-2025 Human Rights Program Undergraduate Working Group. Outside of the Working Group, Skylar is also a Pre-Law Society mentor, CLA Student Board Council member, and Treasurer for FUSE. She is passionate about community outreach in the Jewish community and holds a particular interest in genocide studies, women's rights, and Jewish studies.