What lays behind the scene

You see me as a beggar and a thief

What your human eyes perceive is a poor lazy man begging on the street

You see the tattered clothing and the dirt stained hands

but there is much more to what lays behind this old man

You see once I believed in dreams and goals

I served this country long ago

I lost my leg fighting in the are

fighting for your honor

fighting just to be told I am worth nothing anymore

You see me as a woman just trying to shoot another score

A woman begging on the street who is just another whore

Your eyes can't see that yet I beg on the street

It' s just so my baby has another bite to eat.

You see me as a man holding a sign

an elderly man who brings you fear as you drive by

You don't know all I long for is to have my home

A place of protection away from rejection

A warm meal to eat

and a shower so I can be clean

You see

all you see is what your human eyes perceive

I am not just a man begging on the street

I was once a soldier fighting for you to be free

I am not just a woman trying to get high

but I was an abused woman fighting for her life

Years of abuse and hidden black eyes

too afraid that one day I may die

His punches have hurt and killed all my pride

You see me as just another person who should die

but don't you see I am just another ordinary guy.

I have a story one to be told

I lost my home

my job and my bride

Married for 40 years and then she died

I always thought the pain would subside,

but I couldn't handle reality, so I chose to hide

I lost everything that I held dear and now I'm begging complete strangers to care

You see me as the mama who doesn't care

but you don't realize I have been fighting for years

three jobs and still not enough to provide

a one bedroom apartment on the south side

You see me high but you don't realize

I'm exhausted from working late nights

A Single mom fighting for her babies to have a better life

We are not all the same

yet we are all chosen by God

and given specific names

Humanity sees us

assumes we don't care

The reality is we hold back the tears

Life is hard

but it's a gift and if we stay strong

If we love hard

and we give

We too will see others not as ordinary

But God's perfect gifts.