Thursday, April 17, 2014

The alleyway


He sat in the alleyway
oblivious to the smell,
familiar, to the filth,
familiar, to the open sewer
flowing in the center
of the stones, familiar,
to the cries of children,
familiar, the dogs full
of sores and mange
chasing the rats
familiar, the cockroaches
crawling over whatever
was in their way, familiar,
his legs. He sensed
the presence kneeling
next to him, unfamiliar,
the hand offering a burrito,
unfamiliar, a bottle of water
fresh, unfamiliar, the light,
unfamiliar, the sun rising,
unfamiliar, the light softening
the lines and creases
of his ten-year-old face.

You will go to Babylon
there  you will be rescued.


Photograph: The Micah Project, Honduras.

3 comments:

  1. So sad and so true...until He comes to rescue you. Then that is just the beginning of a life everlasting and a transformation that changes everything. beautiful piece of work.

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  2. This is a tender poem. The use of repetition creates emotion among the unadorned words.

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  3. he smiles without you ever saying so…

    beautyFull.

    ReplyDelete