Little lost souls

These girls are so young, 9, 10, or 11. They come to school wearing clothes from their pregnant sisters' closets. They try to be kids at school and learn what they need, but they're constantly reminded of what grown ups they already have to be. Their moms are at work till they go to sleep and their daddy's are only around sometimes. I see these children each day battling life as they leave class, roaming the streets with high schoolers. I have no idea what goes on after dark if their only role models are ones who are also lost. I saw their profiles on myspace, lying about their age. Pretending they are 14 so they can meet older boys. They've learned nothing from their older sisters who went down the same path and now have a baby at 16. They are hopelessly starving for attention and affection as they are constantly in trouble for doing it the wrong way. We want to help as much as we can, but theres only so much one can do sitting behind a desk. With rules, red tape, policies and conflicting interests, the workers' agendas come to live as more important than those little lost souls just trying to make it in a world so cold. I wish I could scoop each one up with my hand and sprinke them with magic fairy dust that will make their sorrows go away.