I caught myself daring to give God counsel,
As He consulted with Holy council,
Questions about some things I know He has power to change,
Counsel about some things I will love to see Him exchange,
We don't decide what comes with everyday,
We only decide what we do with any day,
By the circumstances of our birth,
We may be born into dearth,
It is independent of our will,
Only the sanction of the Holy will,
This is for the child in the dark,
Who only knows poverty very stark,
This is for the child in the slumps,
Who lives only on the air in his/her lungs,
This is for the child with a brilliant mind,
This is for the child in the hardest grind,
Who may never be able to read the words I write,
Who has been robbed of every human right,
This is for the child in the womb,
On premature eviction to the tomb,
This is for the child in the heat of cross fire,
Yet alien to the Holy fire,
This is for the child on ten toes,
Who has known only many woes,
This is for the male child with the burdens of a man,
The female child with the pressures of a woman,
This is to the child who has never met love,
And knows not what to do in the face of love,
This is for the child of rape,
Clad in a doubtful drape,
This is for the child without a mother,
The child without a father,
This is for the child with terminal disease,
The child unaccustomed to ease,
This is for the child of violence,
Whose voice has been silence,
This is for the child shut off from opportunity,
The shut door can be an opportunity,
It is for you dear child that I bleed,
It is for you that I weep,
It is for you that in my folly, I question the Holy creed,
It is for you that I wish I was of another breed,
It is for you that I tried to counsel God,
That every child will be born to peace,
That every child will know the warmth of love,
That every child will have a good father and mother,
It is for you that I tried to plead with God,
That every child will be able to read and write,
That every child will be free of disease,
That every child will have a chance to grow,
It is for you dear child that I entreat the mercies of God,
That every child will have the same opportunity,
That every child will have the same obstacles to challenge growth,
That every child will become something,
And God said to me 'child'
Every child is already something,
No child is a mistake,
Every child is special,
There is a plan for every child,
There is a seed in every child,
There is an indomitable spirit in every child,
Those children, they give my love a chance,
They give my compassion a chance,
They give my sacrifice a chance,
They give my grace a chance,
then God went on...
I need a vessel to reach them,
I need vessels to reach them,
One person at a time,
We can reach one child at a time,
With enough vessels,
Like a million tiny ripples,
Together we can build a mighty wave,
And set in motion an impregnable tide,
To begin to overturn the assaults on children,
Together we can begin to give them a chance,
I want your partnership, not that I need it,
but you get to know me best on my JOB...
A tough job but fear not, I will be with you always...
Then I began to shake uncontrollably,
Every cell in my body,
My legs wobbled and lips shivered,
My teeth clattered as I stuttered,
Saying:
"Father I believe, equip me and use me,
According to your will..."
You may be as scared as I am,
Feel as dwarfed as I am before the lofty call,
But you can say yes too...be a vessel...
Child abuse can be retired from our world…
It will take you and me,
We can bring that day closer!
Brussels © March 2015 afesehngwaHilary
