Starving dog tethered to a tree
Through sun and rain and cold.
Neglected child obliged to navigate
The shadowy streets alone.
Dark-skinned man enslaved by his own ignorance
And ours and theirs.
Young girl taught to abide the terrors
Of the tribal ways.
Small boy left on borderlines
Of immigrant uncertainty.
Hungry mother scavenging for morsels to allay
The wrenching, unabated cries
Demanding full equality.
Justice must be done! And will be done, but meanwhile what
Will mitigate these conditions?
Little acts of kindness, from those who are aware
Meant to tip the scales, with day by day additions
Till the balance is secured?
Is such a kindness adequate, an instrument of strength?
Affectionate and caring, sympathetic, with good cheer
Yet how can this be reckoned as efficient exponentially?
An element is missing from this dawdling device
A catalytic superstar, the magnet of the hearts
Equipped with nourishment for body and for soul
Practical, the hero rushes in on steed of sacrifice.6