Their Failure, Our Failure

          THEIR FAILURE, OUR FAILURE!!!

To them, the street was home.
The leftover and decays were food.
The floor was bed and the trees were shelter.
All these secrets they won't tell.
For fear of being deprived of these
All of which they deem as privileges

At night they lie down and tremble with fear.
At sunrise,they are attracted by the sound of loud music
And flashing lights of flashy cars break the darkness of the night
They would watch and longingly imagine
The pleasure you must be having
And the luxury within which u live.

Pain wraps their souls the more
As they continue to live in misery
And it feels like playing with hot coals and thorns.
In their hearts they cry,
"All have neglected us"
They feel torn apart with trouble and pain.
They hope to see the light
But darkness overwhelmed their pitying souls.
Life is not as sweet to them as others
Thinking death would bring them gain.
They starve as food and thirst as water
Hoping to say goodbye to the saddest world in which they live.
Yet, live each day hoping for a better tomorrow

Our lives is not important except in the impact it has on other lives
In our attempt to give,
We remember the dark side of giving
Forgetting we could be such as they are
Forgetting we have been made rich to reach out.
Not remembering that we have been made who we are
So as to make these ones who they are meant to be.
Why can't we make a difference in their lives?
Doesn't it hurt to see them suffer in pain and agony?
When we have more than we need?
Doesn't it hurt to bargain so hard with them as they tread on an empty stomach all day
Carrying on their heads all sorts of items?
Tomatoes, pepper, garden eggs, onions, pear, fruits
Just to earn a living?

It is about time we think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege as rightly said by John D. Rockefeller Jr.
Matt Kahn made it right when he said,
"You give to yourself by giving of yourself"
And Mother Theresa,she made it all complete when she made the assertion;
If u can't feed a 100 people, then just feed one

Let us wake up
Ye privileged and fortunate ones
To attend to our young and needy.
To attend to the rejected and abandoned.
Let us turn to the streets
To the street corners
To every nook and cranny of society
Let us not turn a blind eye
To the deprived areas in our society.
Let us not loose sight of the helpless orphans

We need to try and be a rainbow in their clouds
A rose amongst their thorns
A lily in their valley
A moon in their night
A light in their darkness
A smile in their sad hearts
And a restoration to their lost joy

Realizing there exists a needy world
Realizing a bleeding heart needs love
And a feeble hand needs help
Knowing a sleepy and homeless head needs shelter
And a hungry mouth needs food.
We've got to challenge ourselves
Dare to stand out of the crowd
Set an example for others to rise,shine and lead
Set an example for others to love,care and share

In your formative years,
People spent time and resources to help and bring you up
Or perhaps you may have joined this world
With a silver spoon in your mouth, Probably not!
You may have lived contrary to luxury
But in a gentle and caring way,
You and I can shake the world and impact lives
Yes! You and I
We can show love to these ones
Who need more love than we ever received.

Poem written by:
Joyce Ohenewaa Kwapong
+233(0)267968373
joycekwapong@gmail.com
Activist, Women and children
University of Ghana, Accra City Campus
Read more on ohenewaa-kwapong.blogspot.com