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Come What May
By Jessica Madrid, Senior, St. Michael's High School, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe Action Team Captain
| Jessica wrote the following poem for a humanities class about her volunteer experience helping to prepare meals at a local homeless shelter. Get project ideas to fill service hours and ways to make a difference in your community in the Volunteer Center. |
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Gray above and below
Clouds above, concrete below, wind in between
Pushing you closer towards the brown door with the loose brass doorknob.
Enter a different world that is as normal as they come.
Enter with gift-laden arms.
Gifts not only of Coca-Cola and ice cream, but of the most genuine intentions.
Walk through the halls,
Try to be inconspicuous. Act normally.
Take in the whirl of washing machines and many voices.
Turn the corner into television-lit darkness,
White blue light flickers over four tired faces.
Continue to the kitchen.
The light in here is different,
It is full of the spirit of helpfulness.
The room is alive with stirring, slicing, baking laughter,
Full of friendship as more faces trickle in.
You have seen these faces many times, but here, in this small brown building,
You see them for the first time.
They also have gifts that can be seen more in their eyes,
Than in their arms.
This kitchen has seen much wear,
Much use,
Much love,
And it quickly fills up with more.
Everything is done with the utmost care.
Each dish is fried, tossed, or simmered to perfection,
And carried out through two doors …
To the realm of Heroes.
Fight back the urge to submit to your shy nature,
You can learn from these great people.
And right now,
In this golden moment, you have the chance to share with them.
Share your smile,
Your time,
Yourself.
They are the Heroes.
The ones who stories are untold.
A mother with blue eyes, a father with red hair,
A man with tattoos and a Yankees cap.
You sit down across from a man in a Hawaiian print shirt and tattoos on his hand.
His eyes are nervous but kind
And he smiles easily.
You wonder how he got those tell tale marks,
But ignore them in the face of his polite conversation.
The greatest Heroes here do not stand ten feet high.
They are not arrogant with accomplishment or great deeds.
They do not seem discontent with life.
On the contrary their laughter brings a smile to each Hero in the room.
You watch as a friend braids the flame red hair of one of these small Heroes,
And she smiles in contentment and mirth.
You laugh along with others who tease another young Hero
For charming his female schoolmates.
You yourself are occupied with learning
The refined art of origami cup making from a third young Heroine.
She bursts with an obvious love of life.
Her beautiful amber eyes greet the world
From delicately slanted lids framed with strawberry blond lashes.
Here at last are the Heroes you’ve been searching for,
They who constantly search for goodness,
For a way to better themselves every day,
For a way to be everyday Heroes.
And they are.
Come what may they live life with
Courage and calm, pride and passion.
Like the epic heroes of old,
These Heroes are on a quest.
They show each person who comes to the brown house
The value of human dignity.
The air in the room mixes with laughter, music,
And the Heroes shining presence.
Their Heroism may not be clear to all,
But to you it sparkles like crystal.
Walk again through the kitchen of friendship.
Walk through the television lit room,
This time to a sonorous chorus of goodbye.
Walk again through the brown door with the loose brass doorknob.
Black above, gray below.
Night above, concrete below,
Love in your heart. |
