Responsibility
by Kathleen Chaney
Have you ever heard a baby’s first cry?
Or witnessed the mist of a father’s last sigh?
Wandered streets shaking without cold
Have you cringed in the night when nobody knows?
If you have you have known
Fear
Fear of uncertainty
Fear of being alone
It consumes, layers everything
But afraid?
It’s not what you have to be
The night is dark
And the trail is rigged
And the forest is in tangles
Trees dripping with hate and red tape
But for some reason
They gave me a flashlight
And I can get my hands on the map
So it seems that I could be your guide
Can I walk you through the maze?
If it makes your journey easier
I’d like to try
I just can’t leave you standing there
When it’s all here in my hands
What is worth doing
If not love for fellow being?
All my things will come and go
But help
That ripples, you see
And that’s my responsibility
Kathleen Chaney has a BA in psychology and is a first-year MSW student at IUPUI.