Alone in a cardboard box curled up tightly in a fetal position, head buried under my sleeping bag
I prayed for you tonight.
Listening to the traffic in the distance, to the elements falling upon my makeshift shelter
I prayed for you tonight.
Thinking of my home, wishing for my warm comfortable bed
I prayed for you tonight.
Endlessly turning trying to find a position I could hold long enough to fall unconscious
I prayed for you tonight.
Knowing I have a home to return to in the morning
I prayed for you tonight.
Only 4 short yet endless hours did I endure the cross you bear every night. My vow to you is to pray for you each night as I drift to sleep, to see your humanity and suffering of homelessness with empathy and understanding and to help you somehow.
I will pray for you tonight.
I wrote the poem above at 5:00 am the morning of our Cardboard Box Village – a homeless simulation at our church with our youth group. It was to raise awareness about the homeless. I as well as 18 others slept in card board boxes when it was 25 degrees in honor of the homeless to find physical empathy for their plight. I learned so much more than I thought possible.