Restlessness

I cannot settle

My heart will not rest

And my head is spinning

The thoughts whirl around

Creating sadness

And it aches my heart

The lies come now

With words of pain

That I am not good enough

Then I hear a whisper

A voice calling to me

You are not good enough for me

It’s that voice I should listen to

One of love and compassion

The one who created me

The restlessness comes from the self

The one I am bound in

And what my life consists of

But that should not be the case

As I am called to love others

So my mind must turn to them

Jo Anne Kennedy

December 2019

Is the Door Open?

Is the door open?

Can I get through?

Will you help me?

Or leave me here?

I need a wee push

As there is a stop here

How can I get in?

If you put obstacles in the way?

Is this for everyone?

Is it accessible to all?

If so why no spaces for me

Why do I have to sit at the back?

That is another obstacle for me

As I cannot hear you speak

Or read what is on the screen

Because I am at the back

Is this a friendly place?

Will people speak to me?

Because so far I have been ignored

People just stare then walk away

Is this not a place for everyone?

A place to be accepted by all

To be loved no matter what

To be seen as an equal

If so, then I haven’t seen it

I do not believe that this is the way

That Jesus would have been

Distant and uncaring

No, he would have been with the lowest

The ones who are in need of help

Those who are marginalized

And those who are forgotten

Is this not how you should be?

Why so many obstacles to prevent me

Being able to feel a part of the church

And feel loves like Jesus loves

Jo Anne Kennedy

December 2019

Hypocritical

I hear people tell me

Of your concern for me

But please don’t blame me

If I find it hard to believe

For one if it was truly the case

Then where have you been

Why haven’t you shown your face?

And show me that you care

It’s because you are the hypocrite

But I am the one who is told off

Because I ignore you

But I am just doing what I am told

You said no contact

So I am obeying your orders

Maybe you should take your own advice

And leave me alone

Jo Anne Kennedy

October 2019

Common Ground

You and me

We come from different places

But we meet on common ground

That is hard to do these days

And not easy to sustain

So sometimes we falter

But the truth is

That no matter what happens

We have each other’s back

We see each other’s past

And in our own individual ways

We let each other know we care

Jo Anne Kennedy

October 2019

The Voiceless

October 2019,

Will always be a month

To look back upon

And sigh

It is a month of darkness

When people’s opinions stopped mattering

And politicians took it into their own hands

To dictate the law

The voiceless were ignored

And those with a voice,

Protested loudly,

But were ignored

It all comes down to the politicians

And the childish games they play

Not wanting to cooperate with each other

Which punishes us all

Jo Anne Kennedy

October 2019

Misconstrued

Every day we try to be ourselves

But it is very hard

As others can misconstrue you

The words you say

The way you look

Or the way you behave

It’s all taken out of context

And made into something else

In the minds of others

Then it’s that version of you

Which gets played to others

Then spirals out of control

Can people not just take us,

For who we are

And not project things onto you

Or is it because

People don’t actually know us

Or even bother getting to know how we tick

There are assumptions made about people

And judgments falling down

But really, who is the real us?

Jo Anne Kennedy

October 2019

Messed Up World

Sometimes life can be pretty messed up

With people doing the stuff they shouldn’t

And saying things that harmful

Or you go to the extreme side of politics

Which can be pretty twisted

With all the lies and manipulation

It is hard to know who to trust

In this world of fake news

Which effects more than the individuals concerned

We live in a he said/she said world

With no one taking the time.

To actually seek the truth

What is the truth these days?

Om this world of exaggeration

And throwing daggers

It is a god eat dog world

Each person out for themselves

With a thought of others

It is sad to live in these times

Where you are afraid to speak

And even afraid to smile

Jo Anne Kennedy

October 2019