Poverty
Drowning
In a sea of poverty
Try to keep my head up
The waves wash over me
Tried to keep it secret
For such a long time
Put a smile on my face
When I wanted to cry
Tried to hide the worry
When my children were young
So they didn’t see my fear
Or feel my concern
I wanted to give them
A carefree childhood
Full of love and peace
Full of care and calm
The constant stress
Repressed under the waves
Now all these years later
Demand expressed without delay
What was it like as a young mother
I scrimped, saved, and scrounged
Put so much love into making
Meal after meal from scratch
Meals that didn’t cost much
Hmmm...what else could I do
To make their lives good
As my children grew
Books, books galore
I taught them to read
Everyday reading together
Many trips to the library
I knew if they read well
They could do what they pleased
So many pleasant hours spent
On this top priority
And hours spent in nature
Life’s best gifts often free
Learning about the natural world
Hiking amongst the trees
Playing at the playgrounds
Boardgames at home
I tried, no we tried
To show them so much love
But I know, how I know
They still felt the poverty
Weighing on us
So heavily
We could not always hide
Our anxiety
They felt it too
I’m so sorry
And also for
When they didn’t feel as loved
Because their friends had more
I know this made them sad
Poverty
It’s overreaching
Overwhelming
Leads to suffering
Causes harm
Leads to heartache
In many lives
In different degrees
Like in mine
Mostly limited options
For my kids
And for me
But for others
It can mean death
For a sick stray cat
Or a homeless vet
For a dear poor soul
In a war-torn country
That cannot escape
Without enough money
If you can’t afford
The healthcare you need
Or must work a job
That damages your body
On and on
Poverty’s reach never ends
May we do better
This stain on society to mend