First Day of School

My little girl starts school today
When she was born I envisioned her wearing a smart uniform
It's discounts for her
Smiles so sweetly when I tell her how pretty she looks
Don't point out the stains or the tear in her dress
She opens her arms to me as I smooth out the wrinkles
We embrace each other
I pray the kids don't make fun of her dress

In a House

In a house filled with love and riches
A baby boy dies in his sleep
On the wrong side of town
A girl of only fourteen with tracks on her arm is taken to the hospital
Blood work shows heroin and a baby
Baby survives and is born via c-section
No love
No mother's touch
Only sterile hospitalization
From foster to foster she goes
Until she's put in a home with love
One dead baby
One fighting baby
Don't tell me God don't have a plan fr us

Out of a Job

Out of a job again
Cold air cuts through like a knife
Worn out coat
No gloves
Unless I make $60.00 by the 20th of the month
No heat
I walk home
Beggars on the street
Young girls who should be home with their mothers are offering themselves up
All night diners serving cheap food
It's a wonder we all don't get food poisoning
I shuffle past it all
A man calls out to me asking if I want a job
Easy money
I am tempted
I walk on and pray

Fill My Cup

I tried to take a sip of wine
But my cup was empty
At the feast, I see people getting their share
Yet my cup remains empty
Full of desperation
I cry out to the Lord
I have no wine, fill my cup
Patience
Is His response
Here I sit with cup in hand waiting for my Lord to fill it

Modern Knight

By day he fight evil

Armed with a taser and a badge

Sir and Ma’am all day long

By night he comes home to an empty house

It’ll be four day old day chili from a restaurant tonight

He dreams of peace, love, family

Past forty, will it ever come

Midnight comes too soon

In bed he clutches his rosary and prays

He prays for the same things each night

He wonders if it will ever come

Laughter

The thing I hate most, laughter
It stings my ears with mockery
When I was ten, I made up my mind to stop laughing
After two years of working on it I finally stopped laughing
With laughter out of my life
I learned that joy disappeared as well
One day in mass, sitting in front of me was a young mother
A mother with tattoos and ill advised attire
When her baby started getting fussy
She picked him up and laughed
Not a mocking laugh, but a joyful laugh
A laughter described at the birth of Isaac

Steps

Are you ready?
The word, ready, stings
I crosses an ocean to come to this land so that I could serve
Now all I want is a warm cup of tea and a soft bed
Anxiety sweeps over me as I look at the people
Sickly, desperate, hungry
I shut my eyes praying it will all go away
I can't do this
Mother walks over to me and puts her arms around me
One step at a time
That's how Our Lord carried the cross
One step at a time