This poem, by Ina Hughes, is on the bulletin board in the resource room at Roosevelt Grade School. I like it and thought I would share it with my Fiddler kin.
We Pray for the Children
We pray for the children
who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
who like to be tickled,
who stomp in puddles and ruin their pants,
who sneak Popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes",
who are born in places we would not be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an x-rated world.
We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
who cover themselves with band-aids and sing off-key,
who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
who slurp their soup.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the car pool,
who squirm in church and scream on the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move but have no being.
We pray for children
who want to be carried and for those who must.
For those we never give up on and for those who don't get a chance.
For those we smother and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
Getting physical
-
Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
swim, lift, and run on my own (or with the masters swim team) during the
week, and o...
12 years ago
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing this poem, Honor. I appreciate the contrast between our typical visions of childhood and children and the reality of children's lives in other nations (actually this one, too!) that aren't filled with tickles, giggles, and screams of delight.
I like poems like this. They force us to pause and consider other realities and perspectives. They open our eyes to experiences beyond our own limited experiences.
And this one reminds us to pray.
Thanks, Honor.
I am glad you like the poem. Often the students who need the most academic help belong to families on or below the poverty line. Students in Hays elementary schools can eat a free breakfast if they haven't already eaten. Many times families rely on that help to make ends meet. I wish solving the world's problems could be as easy as providing a hot meal for people.
Honor I printed off several copies of this poem to hand out. This poem reminds us that life is barely livible for some while others lives seem so carefree and fun. Mark 10:16
Carol, I am glad that you like the poem well enough to make copies. I looked up Mark 10:16. We should always remember that Jesus blessed the children who came to him. In his eyes, they were not insignificant.
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