Poetry for Orphan Sunday

Have you heard?

Have you heard the voice of the orphan?

Do you know the sound of his cries?

Do you know what life has done to him

As he wonders where his future lies?

Have you felt his broken heart

When his mother never came back around?

Have you wiped away his tears

When his dreams crashed to the ground?

Were you there when they told him

the days would only be few

Before they took away his flesh and blood,

Taking his sister out of view?

Do you see his empty eyes

As he longs to hear her voice again?

Can you fill the gaping hole

 where her presence had always been?

Do you wonder how he does it,

Waiting to see what each day will bring?

Sometimes an opportunity to grasp,

Sometimes another painful sting.

Do you imagine what he goes through,

As he steps into life alone?

Can you suppress his fears

As he faces each unknown?

Have you held him in your arms,

As the tears stream down his cheek,

Knowing you are leaving him

With a future that still looks bleak?

Have you watched him pray at night,

As he lets the tears just flow,

Begging God to bring his mama back,

Yet knowing it would never be so?

Have you heard her stall your conversation,

Cherishing every word you said,

Not wanting you to say goodbye,

Before she had to go to bed?

Have you heard the cry of the orphan

And wonder what you can do?

Have you ever wondered if

That orphan had been you?

Love Me as I am

An orphan is what they call me

An unlucky child, some may say.

I grew up without a family,

Now I'm just trying to find my way.

You may be tempted to judge me,

You may think I'm immature for my age,

I think I've done pretty well

For being raised in an orphanage.

Of course you'll find gaps in my life.

There's so much I never learned,

Things I never had a chance to practice,

Or times I never got my turn.

Still I am who I am today

because of my unique experiences in life,

I faced more loss than most ever do,

 I conquered incredible internal strife.

Please don't try to change me.

I'm not a project for you to fix.

Please love me as I am

Without trying to alter the mix.

I have so much to add to the world,

I could love to the moon and beyond,

But til’ I know you truly love me,

My heart won’t ever respond.

(Both poems are excerpts from Painful Waiting, my sequel to Unexpected Tears--to be published sometime soon by Authenticity Book House)