Poems for a Men's Homeless Shelter

[Coni]

Some years ago I met a gentleman that ran a homeless shelter. They were seeking something to go along with their moto. I don't recall now which of the two poems they chose, but thought I would share. Their moto is "A HAND UP NOT A HAND OUT". In keeping with their moto, the poem is divided up in sections by the moto words reading downward, with an attempt at a natural flow along the way. Hope you enjoy...

A Hand Up Not A Hand Out (Version 1)

All around he looks in awe

Hanging his weary head
All he hoped was to be fed
Nothing his own, not even a bed
Did anyone think he may need led

Up against the odds he survives
Praying and seeking his life's revise

No one notices his inner pain
Only shunning him in vane
To often people wonder if he's sane

All around he searches for a hand

His heart reaching out to you
As his tear filled eyes seek few
Needing a hand up starting anew
Don't you see the good he can do

Only a chance is all it will take
Until then his heart does break
To long within to become awake

~~~~

A Hand Up Not A Hand Out (version 2)

All he wanted was to eat

Humbly, he enters the room
Allowing God's magic to bloom
Nice caring faces ease his gloom
Diminishing his feel of inner doom

Untouched heart seeking to survive
Prayers reaching out for his life's revise

Now that God's led him here
Our hearts are filled with cheer
Touching his soul, easing his fears

All he needed was to eat

His heart touched by caring hands
After drifting through the lands
Now blessed in spirit, he's more than sand
Determined to conquer his life's demands

Only a hand up can open the door
Uplifting his spirit to hunger for more
To embrace this life like never before

~~~~

[Jaime Lync]

Both of the poems are lovely. Thanks for sharing.