Some people are finding life's experience to be a tough one, a rough one;
the homeless;
the abused,
the downtrodden.
This page has a rough background.
So do many people.
I think it is good to be reminded of this
and to be aware that "The Power of One"
as demonstrated by Ginger Lockwood
can create miracles.
I feel honoured that Ginger has
given me permission
to
share with you
some of her outstanding poetry.
..Cally
9 Years Old and Homeless
Standin' outside in the freezin' cold
yet, holdin' the shakes to look so bold.
Nothin' in the hands and nothin' to eat,
Not a toboggin on the head or shoes on the feet.
Nine years old and nowhere to go,
Mama and Papa don't care, they don't know.
Threw 'em out, without any clothes,
Kid got too many bad bruisin' blows.
Got mad one day, told mama how it was,
she said, 'Don't worry about what papa does.'
'How can I not mama, he hurts me real bad,
he hits me really hard and he makes you real sad.
Mama didn't care about the boy or anyone else,
just papa dear and her old ragged self,
A purple spot here and a purple spot there,
Then young boy would have purple everywhere.
After he opened his mouth too much,
papa and mama got mad, beat him and such,
Papa threw him out with nothing to wear,
But people on the street saw him and started to care.
It is almost Christmas, they felt real bad,
would walk past the boy and see how sad.
His tear streaked face they couldn't stand to see.
Then one day this boy met Miss D.
She took him in, nourished him well,
The boy now out of his fiery hell.
Adopted him as her own yes she sure did.
Now the boy is grown and has a few kids.
Ginger Lockwood (Gethang)
Homeless Christmas Miracle
Watching the crowd while he is standing on the street,
No warm clothes for him to wear and no good shoes on his feet.
Either people walk past him and ignore him or they stare,
Some people look at him with sympathy, and some don't care.
He sees the santas, the decorations and the bells,
but he has no family, so Christmas is his private hell.
Four years old when his parents had left
and other homeless people had befriended and met.
They took care of him, but didn't show him any love,
He didn't know what it felt like to have a warm hug.
Ten years old, and he didn't have anywhere to go,
He just sat there with his worn shoes in the wet snow.
The clothes he wears he has severely out grown,
and the feel of new clothes, he has never known.
The temperature is dropping and he sleeps in his box,
then one night a nice man brings him a couple pair of socks.
The boy didn't know what in the world he was to say,
just that no one had done anything like this until this day.
The following night, a young boy dropped him by a coat,
The boy had to hold back the knot in his throat.
The night after that, he woke up to a pair of shoes,
put a smile on his face, and wiped away his blues.
On Christmas Eve, his mysterious people gave him a shirt,
One that was brand new, clean, not a speck of dirt.
On Christmas day, this nice lady stopped by,
gave him a pair of pants, and he just had to ask why.
So she told him what the Christmas holiday was really for,
He didn't want her to stop, he wanted to know more and more.
'Thank you lady I don't know what to say,
there have been angels watching over me every day.
They are bringing me clothes to keep me warm
because my old clothes were dirty and worn.
God has sent me angels to make sure I don't get sick,
He gave me clothes that are so warm and thick.
One of these days I am going to live a better life,
I will have a job, a dog and have me a wife.
I want to help people who are just like me
to learn the real reason for Christmas, I want them to see.'
The lady worked hard to hold the tears back in her eyes,
This boy though homeless, had dreams, and he was wise.
Fifteen Christmas' later, she was approached by this young man,
and he placed a small little angel in her right hand.
'You showed me so much in just that one night,
and now I am helping other homeless children win the fight.
I always wondered how in this world I was going to repay,
and was just waiting for the perfect Christmas day.
Goodbye my angel, I hope I see you soon,
My wife is going to have a baby this afternoon.
He then walked away and she couldn't hold the knot in her throat,
when she saw the young man walk away in his white doctor coat.
(There are so many homeless Children on the street right now. In the end there, I kind of jumped to the future, making the part where was a child the present because there are just so many children out there on the streets.)
..........Ginger Lockwood (Gethang)
Children Today
What is it that he did to you?
Did he do it to your sister too?
I hope that your little sister is okay,
did this happen to you every day?
I am so glad that you come to me
because it happened to me too you see,
That I know all about the hurt that it brings
and that your heart and your soul forever stings.
What is it that she did to you?
What all has she put you through?
She made you sleep in the cold last night
just because you were hungry and she picked a fight.
Does this thing happen to you a lot?
Does she rather you stay outside and rot?
She gave birth to you, what is there not to love.
You don't know the comfort of a hug.
How many children must be neglected each day?
Not loved, shunned, and abused in every way.
How many kids have to freeze every single night
because their parents kick them out over a little fight?
How many must be treated in ways that most cannot think,
Some deprived of food and don't have anything to drink.
So much cruelty toward our childen today
that there are not enough words to say
the remorse, the love that I feel for those so young,
that to my heart, much love and remorse they have brung.
...Ginger Lockwood (Gethang)
Many Ways to Go
So many dreams, so many ways to go,
What to do in your life, you don't know.
You can go up, you can go down,
you can smile and you can frown.
You can go left, and you can go right,
You can go to a bar and get in a fight.
You can go to church and worship the Lord,
You can end up on the street and nothing to afford.
There are so many things that you can do,
but there are those out there that won't encourage you.
'You can't be a lawyer, you're not smart enough.'
'You were raised in a bad neighbourhood, so you'll have it rough.'
Ginger Lockwood is like a candle in the darkness. She shines and her light reached out and touched my heart.
A brilliant poet she doesn't shun the harsh realities of the lives of those less fortunate. She looks them straight in the face and tells it the way it is. And she needs your help to help others.
