Loving Out Loud

Have you seen the children in the city mall?

Empty eyes and empty purses,

empty hearts, mouths full of curses?

Blades ripped through their tattooed arm,

ever wondered why they want to harm

themselves?

Ever wondered why they turned to theft?

They once had a father who up and left,

leaving them with hearts bereft

of feeling,

seeking love?

Have you seen the lonely widow,

whose husband died or simply walked?

Since he’s gone she’s rarely talked

in depth or shared her needs

doesn’t want to moan or plead.

Her empty eyes watch hands do chores

Need-driven, worn out by the wars

Going on in her heart

                  Broken, rejected.

Or have you seen the young single parent?

Rarely a father, often a mother

offering her life to serve another

But at the end of all her strength?

Tense with kids who go to any length

to wind her up

                  - again.

What of the pensioner strolling the streets

hoping to meet a friendly face with time to spare.

People not busy who do give a care

who’ll listen and talk, and walk a while

who’ll share their life in return for a smile

But rarely do they find one

                  - a dying race.

Yes you can make a difference

Yes you can change a life.

Yes you can use your gifts

And yes you can end the strife.

You might help the body or you might sooth the soul

of an unloved person with a God-sized hole

who needs the touch of another’s skin

no matter the mess he’s wallowing in.

So how about it? Are you too proud

to help another? Let’s “Love Out Loud”.