Not Invisible

Not Invisible
(lyrics drawn from the poem below)

Shadows of those obscure along the way
Darkened by the nearby shade of moving shadows
That glance, but never stay.
Shadows cast upon shadows lost,
Shadows of a colorless world,
where caring simply moves away,
Where compassion
Never brightens someone’s day
Or lifts those who struggle,
Imprisoned in their shadows.

Like brittle leaves, tossed and trapped
In the migration of their despair
Confined in their isolation at the foot of walls,
Or in depths of rivers,
That attempt to keep the crush of humanity
At the borders of their hope,
The human voice cries
Goes unnoticed,
By those who never notice,
Who just don’t care.

A chant, like drumbeats from the shadows
A rhythm of despair,
To those who do not really care,
“We are here!”
“We’re not invisible!”

Life is harsh on stone cold sidewalks,
Cardboard boxes give little comfort,
Little warmth
To the homeless who search for hands
To feed their hunger, fill their stomachs,
To fill their hearts with love,
A ray of hope, sometimes is heard,
When a coin drops in a metal cup.
But the shadows of silent words hover over those in the dark,
As we walk by and they go unnoticed.
From a deeper darkness the words echo louder,
“We’re not invisible.”
“We’re not invisible!”

The colors of the rainbow, upon proud flags that wave,
like hope shouting from the darkness say
“We’re not invisible!”
“We’re not invisible!”
The colors of our skin,
The voice of diversity, in unity resounds,
“We’re not invisible!”
The refugees who flee from tyranny,
Who are tired, weary, poor and worn
Hear the voices of some uncaring shadows shouting
“Send them back” from our treasured shores
confining them to shadows in the darkness of their fears.
The troubled mind, the wounded life, the pain they hold,
Their desperate plea, “Is life worth living?”
A healing touch, a loving heart, a strong embrace
We cannot walk by them, unnoticed in the shadows,
As from the dark we hear the cry
“We’re not invisible.”

The Shadow of uncaring
The darkness of not loving
The coldness of reluctant charity.
The silence of insensitivity
The indifference of intolerance
The blindness of the eye
The narrow hardness of the mind
The rejection of those who are different,
As they find the courage to reveal who they are,
Change who they are,
As they struggle not to be invisible.

Hear the voice! And listen.
Turn toward the darkness
With the light you have to share.
Don’t let love be invisible.
Be a visible me!
A Love for all to see.
So even in the darkest day
We can hear them say,
“We’re Not Invisible.
And in the darkness they will find
Our love is Not Invisible.

-Ronald W. Cadmus © 2023