starving for your aid

8/2/2019 Starving for Your Aid

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Starving for Your Aid

She starves for a small bite

Most of us do nothing at all

We choose between wrong and right

She dies, slowly, staring at the wall.

She leaves after a short life

While her mother cries aloud

Survival was all in strife

As she was one in a crowd.

Dark waters flow beneath her feet

Soon her maker she will meet.

*******

Perfect condition was his state. He sluggishly began to open his deep brown eyes up as a

slight zephyr blew by and a bright light illuminated his face; his thoughts were quickly clearing

up.

Wow! This is so colorful and beautiful and that music in the background . . . Ive heard

before. At church. Momma told me grandma and grandpa came here before I was born. Look

at how sad she is . . . and shes crying; she always criedwhen she was going to sleep. But its not

her fault, God, is it?


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No, it is not her fault; thousands have and will suffer

through trials and tribulations to send a message - the message

that so many have walked past and heard but not acted on.

A message?

Yes, Amadi, my son, it is a message to all of creation.

It was Wednesday, March 15, 1999. The sun was high in the sky; it had not rained for

weeks. She had just entered her small house from a long days workonly to find her son dead;

she held Amadi in her arms and cried out to God.

My mother went out in the morning to gather food. She left me in charge of my two

brothers; food was left for us but it wasnt much. I split my food between them because they

needed it more than I did and my mother always told me that it is better to give than receive.

*******

Oh, they scamper around with their diminutive feet and puny bodies; their tears absorb in

me as they plod across. The children are in excruciating pain, begging for something to eat,

while the mothers are out searching for food; sometimes they bring back nourishment and their

child lives to see another day, but then, some days they return to find their child lying on me, the

ground, dead, as they break into tears.

I am reaching my maximum capacity; so many have been buried within me. All the loved

ones mourn above them as they, themselves, suffer the same epidemic. When will this cease and

when will others recognize the severity of this problem? I am being occupied quickly, and, soon,

there will be no vacancy. I have watched them, from down here, first-hand and have heard their


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cries, yet I can do nothing; I am not physically able, but I call on you - those that tread with those

that suffer on this Earth. Oh, how they need you. Help! For the sake of all humanity.

*******

Introduction music.

Good afternoon, LA! Im Jerry Reed and Im with Natasha White and this in Channel 7

news. Wow! What a comeback in Superbowl XLV, but first lets send it out to Rob whos in

Africa for the week engaging in Feed the World. Rob . . .

Alright, Im Rob Trese and Im here in Somalia and what a sight! See the children along

the road. Just look at them. All of them have lost, if not all of their family most of their family

due to starvation, and all of them themselves are severely malnutritioned.

I am here to help distribute food. Early this morning there was twenty one large crates

flown in from the States. We are also in the process of building two food kitchens where there

will be breakfast and dinner served every day, even on holidays.

At this moment the need for volunteers is still present. If you would like to help serve

food in Somalia please go to our website and click on the Starvation in Somalia link and sign up.

If you cannot donate your time but still want to make a difference, no money donation will be

turned away; again, go online and there will be the information to send the check as well as a

number to call if you prefer to use a card.

Thats all in Somalia for now. Im Rob Trese for Channel 7 news. Back to you Jerry.

Well, that is truly quite an insight and a great thing to volunteer for. And now . . .

*******

Weston: So, Mark, watcha doin tomorrow?


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I kept the letters and read them. I have two children of my own thats one reason why I

am working any job I canto support them. I couldnt imagine either one of them going hungry

or crying because their stomachs are empty. After I had them all read, I talked with some of the

neighbors and the churches nearby and they all agreed that gathering up some food and making

sure that the family always had enough to eat would be the right thing to do. Who would have

thought that my job, a mail man, would ever make a huge difference?

*******

It was early in the morning in a small African village of Lalehun when the deep voice of

Mr. Esi Alhaji, a local store owner who had just returned from the United States, disturbed the

peace.

Woman: Corre! Prisa antes l nos agarra!

Store Owner: Hey! Youve gotta pay for that! Come back here! (He picks up the phone to call

the police)

Operator: Hello, what is your emergency?

Store Owner: I was just robbed.

Operator: Is anyone hurt?

Store Owner: No, they didnt have a gun or anything; they just grabbed some bread and ran out

the door. But, I mean . . .

Operator: Ok, Im sending over help.

Store Owner: Thank you. (He hangs up)

Officer 1: (Stepping out of his cruiser with his partner) So what happened?

Store Owner: A mother and her child came in . . . and they seemed normal . . . and they walked

over to the bread and grabbed four loaves and then casually walked up to the cash register. Then


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they just took off . . . without paying! I mean Ive got a business to run; I cant have food goin

out of here for free!

Officer 2: I understand, Mr. . . .

Store Owner: Esi Alhaji.

Officer 2: Mr. Alhaji, if you could just describe them to us we can start looking for them.

Store Owner: Well, the kid . . . wow! . . . he was skinny as a rail and was only wearing a pair of

brown shorts. The mother looked tired and worn down; she was about, oh, average height . . .

wearing some sandals, brown pants, and a white shirt.

Officer 1: Ill drive around to see if I spot them.

He pulled away with his sirens on; in seven and a half minutes he was turning back into the

stores parking lot with two individuals in the back seat.

Officer 1: Are these the two?

Store Owner: Yes sir, thats them.

Officer 1: They told me their story and it matches up with yours; and then, I asked them why

they didnt pay, and the woman said that she didnt have enough moneybecause she hasnt been

paid yet and her three children are extremely hungry.

Officer 2: Nice catch. Where were they?

Officer 1: Oh, they were about two blocks up and on the left walking down the street. (He turned

to the store owner) So do you want to press charges?

Store Owner: Well . . . It seems as if they need it and . . . its not goin to hurt business I guess .

. . so they can have the bread if they just promise not to steal from me again, and I wont press

charges.


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Officer 2: Ok, Mr. Alhaji, Ill let em know. And you have a nice day (He walked towards the

cruiser with the other officer).

Store Owner: You too; and thank you.

*******

Dear Diary,

I am finally home after my amazing trip to Africa! I met many interesting and friendly people. I promised

to write to some; one was a seven year old boy named Bakari. The people there make me think about how

fortunate I am, and I am truly grateful for the food on my table. My family and I pray every day at the dinner

table, but we kind of just go through the motions now.

Some say that world hunger is not a big issue and that not many people die from starvation, but I found

out that someone dies every 3.6 seconds from hunger! Thats crazy but true, and we need to do something about

that. People say that they help and all they do is donate a little bit of food. Thats not fixing the problem; its only

putting a Band-Aid on an open wound! We need to show them how to grow food for themselves and teach them

how to have a productive life; if we dont we will be sending them food for centuries to come.

*******

Im sure you have heard my cry

While you rest beneath the sky

But you fall asleep with a sigh

While I am here left to die.

All my life I have been afraid

I am starving for your aid!

My mother told me to sleep

To lay my head down without a peep


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When will he come for my soul to keep

My mother sits alone to weep.



Commercials and news talk about me

But help dont arrive, not that I see

I didnt think this is how my life would be

I will surely be dead in three.



starving for your aid

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