writing4fun

I belong to a couple of forums here in Australia that set homework tasks. This week's topic was ... faith. This was my contribution.

FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

Faith, hope and charity, three words we toss around
But do they lose their meaning when injustices abound?
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Faith …
What does that word really mean, what thoughts from it will spring?
Is it trust in those we love? … Is it a spiritual thing?
A husband calls. “I’m working late” his message on the phone.
Does his wife have faith in him? Are seeds of doubt now sown?
A woman sobs, grief-stricken; her new born child is dead.
Will faith in God assuage her pain? Will there be drugs instead?

Hope …
It springs eternal so they say, but sometimes it is lost.
Lost just like the family farm when banks add up the cost.
A woman’s crying for her man; his spirit has been broken.
Her children cannot comprehend the harsh words that are spoken.
Their father once so proud and strong is now a shattered man.
Now hope has gone, will life be next? Will he end it if he can?

Charity …
The last word in the trilogy; is there confusion there?
Some say that it begins at home, but how do homes compare?
A beggar with a mental illness, huddles, dressed in rags
Inside his home, a cardboard box, lined with plastic bags.
A rich man passing steps aside to best ignore the squalor.
Does he avoid eye contact as he tosses him a dollar?
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Faith, hope and charity, three words we toss around
But do they lose their meaning when injustices abound?

© Leonie Parker … Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Lycan

Very nice work here, I like anything that keeps lingering on my mind after I've read it and I think this will for quite a while. There are so many poignant questions in this piece, I don't really think there's a correct answer for any of them as each predicament is individual and therefore requires individual answers.
Thanks for making me think.