I’m walking through a parking lot when a young man approaches me and says he doesn’t like to beg on street corners with a cardboard sign; instead, he sells poetry. So I tell him I’ll buy, and this is what he gives me:
by RA Rizzy
I cry blood because God shed blood and cry for me.
So faithful and true I would be
I give thanks and fall on my knees
He give me the strength to keep going
to allow me to breathe.
I cry blood for each and every day
I encourage y’all to pray.
Through the pain and struggles, the struggles
and the pain
Alwayz remember
God will always remain
I cry blood
I was moved and perhaps even amazed that giving the church’s LoveForward money returned such an overtly religious, almost prophetic, message — it was a complete surprise and not at all what I expected. Apart from this encounter, I also value LoveForward because it has made me more observant of the lives and needs of people on the streets: it’s hard to block out these people when I’m actively watching for someone to whom I can give the money. And I haven’t stopped watching.
-David Ebner