Whose Child?

lillian

I am your global child.
Barefoot puddle splasher
hand outstretched, ghostly smile,
sunken-eyed innocence.

I live in your cities.
Under bridges, in alleyways
on your streets.

Blessed are those . . .
which those?

See me. Hear me.
Offer me
a morsel of hope.

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Quadrille (44 words, not including title) for dVerse where Kim asks us to use the word or a form of the word “ghost.” DVerse, (the virtual pub for poets) opens with today’s prompt at 3 PM Boston time. Come join us!

53 thoughts on “Whose Child?”

    • lillian February 13, 2017 / 10:38 am

      I so agree. One step by many people…so many ways to help if even just a bit.

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  2. thotpurge February 13, 2017 / 3:48 pm

    Bravo..giving those homeless children a voice…and yes surely we can do more to give them hope…

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  4. Sanaa Rizvi February 13, 2017 / 4:12 pm

    Oh Lillian❤️ this is most evocative and heart-stirring… sigh may rays of hope bless all those who need them.

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  5. Bev February 13, 2017 / 4:14 pm

    Stunning use of words. Thoughtful and succinct.

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    • lillian February 13, 2017 / 4:22 pm

      Thank you for this lovely comment, Bev. I truly appreciate it! 🙂

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  6. kim881 February 13, 2017 / 4:17 pm

    This is so heart-wrenching, Lillian. While I was staying with my daughter, we went to see the film ‘Lion’ which made us cry, pretty much all the way through, but especially in the scenes with the street children. God bless all those wonderful people who offer hope.

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    • lillian February 13, 2017 / 4:24 pm

      I’ve met a wonderful woman here in Bermuda. She is attending the Saturday knitting circle I sit in on while we are here. She is home now — for two months and will return as a missionary, to a very poor and remote area of the Phillipines. Saturday she brought pictures of the children she plays with, feeds, and prays with. It was quite touching and heart wrenching to see the photos of these happy, smiling children — barefoot, and eating from a rice bowl —- their one main meal of the week when they visit her.

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      • kim881 February 13, 2017 / 4:26 pm

        She does sound wonderful, Lillian. Kindness is everywhere – we just have to be open to it.

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    • lillian February 13, 2017 / 4:25 pm

      What a beautiful comment! Thank you, Alison.

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  8. frankhubeny February 13, 2017 / 5:26 pm

    I guess the answer to “which those” is all of those global children.

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 6:41 am

      all children who live in the shadows….

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 6:42 am

      Thank you, Sarah. This is one of those times where the words came first — and then I had to find the image. Usually it is the reverse. I think perhaps because of all the news and photos of immigrant children that has been before our eyes so often these past years.

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  10. Grace February 13, 2017 / 6:22 pm

    I love the global child and we must remember to extend that hope to all children ~

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 6:43 am

      Yes — to all children who live in the shadows — wherever they may be.

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  12. Glenn Buttkus February 13, 2017 / 8:17 pm

    Somehow I can see the homeless adults & accept their plight, but when I see a child, under 10, it tears my heart out. In Rio & India there are roving bands of them–very thoughtful & truthful poem, dear lady

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 6:46 am

      I travelled to India several times with my job before I retired. Very very difficult to see such poverty in such a beautiful and literally colorful country. I think the same poverty exists here — it just is not as out in the open in the places I go. It’s too easy to ignore when it is more out of sight.
      Thank you for your thoughtful comment here.

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  13. Dr. Crystal Howe February 13, 2017 / 9:08 pm

    “A morsel of hope,” I love that! If only we could offer that–and more, to our global child! A wonderful poem and reminder.

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 6:48 am

      Thank you for the thoughtful comment here.

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  17. lynn__ February 14, 2017 / 10:29 am

    Yes, may we pray and take opportunities to help “those” children! I recommend child sponsorship through Compassion International, a trust-worthy organization with a personal connection between sponsors and children…it’s a start.

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  19. paul scribbles February 14, 2017 / 12:44 pm

    A much needed call to action. It astonishes me that in our so called world of progress and growth there are children in pretty much every nation who live on the streets. Something fundamentally wrong with such a society and yet it is an area where numbers are increasing. They really are ghosts in the machine.

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    • lillian February 14, 2017 / 8:02 pm

      Ghosts in the machine. Excellent wording for this situation.

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  20. memadtwo February 15, 2017 / 7:19 am

    We so often choose not to see. Your words of witness are important. (K)

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  21. Bryan Ens February 15, 2017 / 7:43 am

    We sometimes (often) choose to be blind. Thanks for the reminder to look and then do what we can to help!

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    • lillian February 15, 2017 / 6:13 pm

      I think we sometimes are too busily involved in our own lives and tasks and these shadows slip by us.

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  22. Linda Kruschke February 15, 2017 / 3:48 pm

    Your first stanza is such a contradiction of descriptions and yet it falls together as a whole. I suppose each individual is a bit of a contradiction if you really try to describe them.

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  23. Olga February 15, 2017 / 7:00 pm

    You’re right, Lillian. Homelessness and hunger is a global issue. Wonderful that you gave the ‘global child’ a voice. We all need to speak out in our own communities. It’s no longer a phenomenon of larger cities. I disagree with Glen. Homelessness is not acceptable, whether for an adult or a child.

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    • lillian February 16, 2017 / 6:45 am

      Thank you, Olga, for your thoughtful reply. So glad you stopped by to read my words here. it is so very hard to see these children who live n the “shadows.” And they are in every city across the globe. I think what Glenn meant to say was that somehow, the children pull at his heartstrings more. I do agree, adults, seniors, children – the homeless of all generations need hope and our actions, somehow, to alleviate this problem. I’ve written other pices, characterizing an adult person on the street — It just seems that in a land where sports figures and movie stars make millions, these situations should not exist.

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  24. Rosemary Nissen-Wade February 16, 2017 / 8:09 am

    A sad and terrible situation.

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  26. Noel Hartem January 9, 2018 / 8:17 pm

    So many are falling through the cracks. Nice wording

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