The night was dark and damp and cold. <br />The match girl’s matches still unsold. <br />The passers by ignored her pleas <br /> what she was selling failed to please. <br /> <br />An orphan child without a home. <br /> By circumstances forced to roam <br />She earns enough to pay her way <br /> but not today, but not today. <br /> <br />Ill clad in rags and frozen through <br />her tiny hands and feet are blue. <br />The freezing rain turns into snow <br />The match girl has nowhere to go. <br /> <br />Without money, she cannot buy <br /> a night in somewhere warm and dry. <br />She tries in vain to sell her wares <br /> Without success, nobody cares. <br /> <br />The falling snow was getting deep <br />and still she had no place to sleep. <br /> Although she tried in vain to find <br />some shelter from the freezing wind. <br /> <br />This was the night the match girl died. <br />They found her frozen stiff beside <br /> the local convents well barred door. <br />The little Sisters of the Poor. <br /> <br />Had not been very sisterly. <br /> Ignored the orphans misery <br />because they did not choose to see. <br /> Now kindly death has set her free. <br /> <br />No longer needs the charity <br /> which they denied so easily <br /> by pious women who profess <br /> to proffer aid to the helpless. <br /> <br />I do not claim to be guilt free <br /> but I make no pretence to be <br />a Little sister of the poor <br /> and let a child freeze at my door. <br /> <br />I am quite sure they will <br />deny any responsibility <br />and call her death an accident. <br />They could nothing to prevent. <br /> <br />I should not judge but feel I must <br />express my feelings of disgust <br />That this child was allowed to die <br />for lack of Christian charity. <br /> <br />Although this happened long ago <br />There’s very little changed I know. <br />We’re still prepared to pass them by <br /> and care not if they live or die. <br /> <br />We can pretend they don’t exist <br /> an attitude which will persist <br />As long as we don’t choose to see <br /> They’re our responsibility. <br /> <br />12-Aug-08<br /><br />ivor or ivor.e hogg<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/not-my-concern-tissue-warning/
