Who Will Break The Legacy?

My family has learned a lot about our neighbors in Homewood since moving into the community. The more we build relationships, the more we are faced with decisions about how to effectively enter into people's pain. My wife, Julie, and I process things differently. Our hearts break together, but we respond differently. We have different outlets for dealing with things. This blog kind of serves as an outlet for me, but my wife often expresses herself through poetry. Julie wrote the following poem. It's called Who Will Break The Legacy. The stories in the poem are all from real people that we have met during this season of living in Homewood.

Drugs were his chance
Breaking the rules
Just to survive

A deal gone wrong
Blood hit the ground
Casings by his side

The bars slammed shut
He'll never see
The light of day

The girlfriend cries
His baby girl
Is on the way

...and God's heart breaks...

It's Holy Ground
Where innocence is stolen
The blood drips down
But God's still holding on to him

His little girl
On the streets
Trying to survive

The hunger gnaws
The weather turns
She must stay alive

So she resolves
At any cost
To find a way

Tremendous choice
No other way
Her body pays

...and God's heart breaks...

It's Holy Ground
Where innocence is stolen
Her clothes slip down
But God's still holding on to her

Walls to protect
She hardened quick
Without a choice

A baby born
Abused, unloved
Without a voice

She could not shake
Addictions hold
For this new life

Can he find a way
Bounced from home to home
Trading love for strife

...and God's heart breaks...

Without hope
One man's life
Left a legacy

Of a daughter lost
A prostitute
Crying on her knees

With no love to give
From none received
She passed on the curse

Now a young boy weeps
Under covers cold
With no where to turn

...and God's heart breaks...