how can i not?

we talk about freedom ...

none of us are free

i'm fed up
fed up with human trafficking
with humans tortured
and raped
over and over
until they are no more use
and they are killed
like a horse with a broken leg

i'm fed up
with discussions over abortion
and when life begins
and the woman's right over her body
... who made you god

i'm fed up with hunger
and thirst
and poverty
people wasting away
for lack of food?????

i'm fed up

i'm fed up
with pretending we're ok
because we live here
or there
and we're free

noone is free

we're all slaves
trafficked
abused
lied to
manipulated

there is no freedom

where are the journalists
real ones
that give their lives to unmasking the evils
for the sake of children in sex slavery

where is the money
and the power
and the resources

where are they

all the posturing
and pretense
of the big gun nations
who know
and then turn their attention
elsewhere
for the sake of politics

slaves don't matter much

oh there are voices here and there
but for the most part
they are ignored
small fry

where is goodness in all this
where the 'right'
the 'morality'
the determination to unveil corruption
and move the money
into the hurting
to rescue
and feed
and free
and liberate
from the evil

i am fed up

does my ranting accomplish anything
probably nothing
nothing until
i
do
something

i must

how can i sit and know all this is happening
and not be moved
and not be angered
and not be enraged

i am

i can do something
even if it's just a small something
i can
and i will
i intend to
i'm moving in that direction
i'm heading there

somebody has to
save that girl
feed that old man
give a blanket to that woman there
a hoodie to that one
find out where that child is from
why is she here
living on the street

i got to
i fail
flatout fail
as a human
if i don't

as a christian
i am a shame
a shambles
a joke
worse
a scar on the very face of jesus
if i can
and i don't

i want to be the (despised) samaritan
not the levite
not the priest

i want to be mother teresa
nelson mandela
mahatma gandhi
mlk

i want to be somebody
that goes down fighting
... that's the fight i want
bring it on
bring it on

let me in
i'm in

i can't save the world

i can
maybe
save 1

maybe

and maybe
another

maybe

have to

how can i not ...

they
are
not
free

and
neither
am
i

none of us will ever be
until jesus rights it
reconciles
renews

until then
i am not free

i give my life
to doing something
some little thing
to turn this
to sandbag against the swell
to undo some of it
to liberate
to restore
some semblance of humanity

to that piece of meat
to that girl
to that starving baby

i have to take this anger
and morph it
repent
and renew
and vision

repent for the slight
childish
immature
wasteful
greedy
comfort-seeking
lackadaisical
watch-and-do-nothing
pontificating
self righteous
pharisee
that
i
am

and move !
move
get up
walk
in that direction
heading there
run !
and don't look back

repent

change

for jesus' sake

any less
i fail

God
you help me

please

i beg of you

free
me