Broken

Tonight I am broken by the weight of the world
A baby, my nephew, will be born this month to a mother and father who wish he was a she
The baby will be born to a mother who only gets 'clean' to have her babies before loosing herself to mania, depression, drugs and alcohol
She already has two babies she gave both away
One is my lil brother, chad
The other is his brother my Godson, D.J.
The baby is their brother
The baby is not the son of his mother’s husband
Who will love him?
Who will answer his cries in the night?


Tonight I am broken by the weight of the world
A young woman, Aaron’s 1st cousin, is getting ready for surgery tomorrow
Cancer is forcing her to choose between sight and walking
The cancer that has invaded her laughs “in the face of chemotherapy” according to her doctors
This is the same young woman whose smile and humor lit up her grandmother’s living room at Thanksgiving
Who will cure her?
Who will finally comfort her?

Tonight I am broken by the weight of the world
A congregation goes behind their pastor’s back to tell the bishop “get him out!”
No firing wrong has been committed
A pastor leads tonight in a congregation where some want him out NOW and others don’t even know he’s been asked to leave
Their feet say, “We want the status quo”
Their mouths say, “We need vision”
Who will guide them?
Who will offer forgiveness to them?

Tonight I am broken by the weight of the world
A city cries to the nation and a world, “we’ve been destroyed by a hurricane and we live in the richest country in the world, help!”
19 months have gone by since the disaster and still cries are unheard
It’s great for colleges, spring breaks trips can be led to help while folks outside the disaster area say, “Thanks for making a difference”
She still doesn’t have a house of her own for her five children, they’re in FEMA trailers
Who will take responsibility for the nation’s response?
Who will restore dignity?