"Out on the streets we say"...a poem by Sarah Dobrin

Out on the streets we say (the words ring loudly in my innermost being),

"Care for your bodies, spirits, and minds..." and before we can finish,

A little boy speaks up with a grin,

"Because you are worth it, because you are God's beloved!"

The phrase bumps into the depths of my soul.

How do I begin to know?

Full of insecurities, fears and doubts.

Here we are, huddled together.

And when we look up, we notice the Spirit of God

embracing us.

With zampona, cajon, quena and charango* shouts of laughter erupt.

The kingdom is here, we humbly proclaim--

And then we gently lean up against each other.

Here we are, one with another.

--Sarah Dobrin, quoted in Friendships at the Margin by Chris Heuertz/Christine Pohl

*Peruvian instruments played by many children