A Writer's Vision of Charity

Written for

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The Writer's Cramp  (13+) Write the best poem or story in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPS! #333655 by Sophurky

The New Prompt is:
Write a Story or Poem about what of yourself you'd give for your favorite charity.

I grew up being told that charity begins at home
Then I found a world full of people that have nowhere to live; risking life to live here
Federal, state, and local employees offering temporary quarters till their deported

I grew up hearing that God helps those that help themselves
Then I found a world full of people that had been helped for so long
Their proud heritage lost; no longer can they remember how to make it on their own

I grew up feeling safe and secure in a city full of people who owned their homes
Then I saw people in neglected city projects, fearful of the dealers, drugs and crime
Those whose job it is to help, misappropriated the money to feed their endless greed

I grew up singing, sewing, and making pretty things
Then I saw a young girl that never had a new anything, her cloths were tattered ~ worn
Cameras sent her pictures around the globe - evangelists asking for more money

I grew up learning to cook and bake; there was always food on my plate
Then I saw a starving stranger eating scraps out of another restaurant patron’s plate
He was rudely told to go away and forced to leave food that would be thrown away

I grew up in a comfortable home; we had a maid and a fireplace and room to roam
Then I saw a family of four living in a beat up old car, parents - the working poor
Pleas for help found endless government forms, requesting they prove their need

I grew up sleeping in my own bed; a doctor would come and care for me there
Then I saw people sick and infirmed, I watched a baby die in the mother’s arms
Waiting for doctors and nurses to do the paper work before the child could be seen

Tell me who needs charity more; I offer my words and hope that they may see
Charity is not about a job where you make your money off the backs of those in need
Give all that claim to help in the name of charity: a writer’s vision, “They need it more.”