James Edward Lee Sr. | + Follow Poet |
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Story of the Hungry Poor Child

Mommy, if I make up my bed
Which consist of old Sunday newspapers
Could I have, can I have a slice of bread
And if I sweep the floors with my bare feet
I'm so hungry mommy can I have some water wit my bread
OH, OH
Now the only valuables procession mama has. . .
is a tatter old worn ragged  missing pages Gideon bible
Some mission pastor gave to her some time ago
And mama would PRAY at least 7 times a day
Mama would read to me, read the word to me, read the B  I  B  L  E
the bible, she'd read the bible to me

Now mama was kinda' sickly
And mama wouldn't go to the doctors cause she didn't money for it
mama was pale and thin cause we didn't have enough food to eat or share
We wore tattered clothes
She would read the word the bible sit me down on card board boxes
And recite verses and passages
From St. Luke, St. Mark  and St. John
Now I couldn't tell her
That I loved her out loud because she just to proud
And I never saw her crying, although I thought I heard her in my dreams
She would hide away as to say she was embarrassed
By the way we are, the way we lived 
She was praying
She prayed
She was praying
Whispering to J  E  S  U  S

                               " OH, my Lord Jesus
Father, Lord God take me away so that my child could be far better than  this"
                         She cries out........
                   "Father won't you please JUST TAKE ME, Take me
                 Bring HOME TO HEAVEN, Take me out of my misery"  ,she says

For we were in poverty, have no jobs, husband/daddy, welfare or immediate families
This must be my destiny, to live and die in gross poverty
Mama would only get a small check from back child support, 
(some check, were the dad at)
And the three strangest thing mama would do wit that little monies
Were faithfully pay her titles first to the mission church
Second, pay on this life insurance policy,
(guess when she'd die ALL THIS MONEY WOULD Belong TO ME
Third, that what was left buy some food with it???

Living in and out and around this mission
Barely had this roof over our heads
Sharing bread and meals
Here, were some other children had it as bad as me
We'd play outside by the sewers in the alleys
They were my play cousins, boy did I love them. . .
Other than mom they were the only family closed that I had-have...

And every night before I close my eyes
Every night before I go to sleep I to do pray.. I say
"Dear God I'm a child and I love you. I hope your well, I'm fine could  you come and talk to me dear God I'm a child I am a hungry poor child one of your hungry poor souls. I am a lamb from your shepherd please Father come help us. Just me and mom and were hungry I we love you, your so ever true
Now if you got a moment just a moment could you heal her and give us just a little more food. Thank you Father in advance for blessing us I love you and I know that you me and mom too. This my request save us, heal my mama deliver us from this desert, this valley
I wanna worship evermore heal us, bless us from head to toe
Guess my prayers to long better stop now, my mother snoring
So this is my prayer to you God, been hurting a while
This is from the hungry poor child


Written by James Edward Lee Sr.
August 2 2017
from the anthology "REALLY"

Copyright © James Edward Lee Sr. | Year Posted 2017

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