He smiles everyday, never complains
His grades are not perfect, but certainly ok
His body is always clean
His clothes are sometimes the same as yesterday
But nobody notices as they all run out to play
He always has the same lunch… an apple and some cheese
He says that is how he likes it, no more questions please
He never goes to birthday parties, he always politely declines
He never invites anyone over; he says he doesn’t have the time
He is quiet at Easter, quieter still at Christmas
He never joins the sports teams, but his ability is obvious
He has strong opinions, but he never talks back or argues
He is such a good young person, but he never quite fits in
But no teacher knows his story, no teacher knew his scene
He was just another kid… just somewhere in between
Another kid named Billy, just another kid to see

One night upon the later news, some squatters were being evicted
An old house with roof all torn up, the windows boarded shut
The sheriff went into the back alley and was hooking up a rusted old Cadillac for tow
A woman stood there crying, pulling items from the car
There were sheets and clothes and personal stuff
There were some toys, some books… a few food bank boxes
The last item that she pulled from that car was no simple item at all
I recognized the jacket, I recognized the clothes
It was little smiling Billy, crying to his mom
Clinging tight around her neck, scared without a friend
He still wore the clothes from school that day
He wore old slippers on his feet
His eyes were red, his nose was running, his mother soothed his head
“Shhh now Billy, it’s alright… there is nothing you’ve done wrong”
“We have to leave this paradise we’ve stayed in, we have to move along”
“It’s been great to have this comfort, but we will be comfortable again”
“As long as we have each other, our comfort will never end”
While the cop called Child Services, she slipped into the shadows
No one saw which way she went, no one saw a thing

Little smiling Billy was not at school next day
Child Services came asking, but no one could say a thing
We, professionals of observation… blind by all we’ve seen
Little smiling Billy, as happy as he seemed
Was it that we failed him, did we give what Billy needs
Did we try to reach that child within, or was he just another part of the scene
Forgotten at each afternoon 3:45, remembered mornings at 9:15
Did anyone try to understand why Billy never screamed
Did anyone ever reach out to him, just to ask what he might need
Or was that report card good enough, just send the paycheck please
Too over worked for the extra effort, we are working towards a strike
We want more pay and less to schedule, that is what we need

But who will bring the Band-Aids while Billy’s mother bleeds
Who will save young Billy, when the vultures come to feed
You had him there before you, but you never even reached
You just marked him at the role call and accepted what was seen
Little smiling Billy… just another kid to see.