Everyone desires and deserves a happy life. But in life, happiness doesn’t always come easy. One blemish in life is verbal abuse: negative words that influence how we feel about ourselves, feeling rejected and unacceptable. Words hurt if we allow them to. As a Fine Arts teacher, I saw children suffer abuse from their peers as I did as a child. I try to encourage them to endure by choosing to look above cruel words and search for the beauty in life. “Enduring Life’s Pain” has a value so great to me that I did a rewrite with the thought of including it in my novel.

“Enduring Life’s Pain”

A dark, sad, and lonely old street,
Cluttered with tattered rags and damp, discarded trash,
Rejected, neglected,
No hope.
Disrespected, unworthy of care,
Unloved, taunted by abusive words,
A visible image of me.

Recognition of what my life had become,
Desolate from dreams erased, replaced by fear,
Last glimmer of hope.
Silently, praying to Him.
Doubtful of Him caring enough to answer me.
Head bowed, feeling unworthy
I turned to walk away.

Suddenly, softly, bidding my attention,
With one upward glance to a distant leafless tree branch.
I was consumed, uplifted.
Entrance by a blue bird; beguiled by its song; a melody, so sweet.
As if summoned by God, came an answer of hope and love,
I smiled knowing—
He’d heard me.

Only for a second, looking up from the dismal street of my life’s woes,
God’s smallest creature taught me to soar above thoughts of the cruelty bestowed on me,
With restored hope.
Now with love I chose to see, and hear, and cherish
The beauty of living, no matter how small,
Receiving His gift of love,
I can endure.