WAIT! Before you just ignore this post, take a minute to just look it over. I’m not asking for money, for help, for anything but a little bit of time and an email response if you feel so led. (This first chunk is a poem I wrote for class, and the rest of it goes with it.)
The Least
Father and daughter
Sweep their feet along the dirty street.
With nothing, they search
For even scraps;
No better than the alley cats.
Not one penny to their names,
Nothing but their torn and tattered clothes,
Wishing for winter to never come.
They are the least.
You lie there,
Body broken by aching disease.
You cry out for healing,
For peace.
And yet you remain weak,
Consumed by thoughts of your own pain.
You beg and plea
For just a little more time; more life.
You are the least.
I see nothing but my life,
Self-absorbed and uncaring,
I hope against all hope
For happiness.
And yet I am so unwilling
To open my eyes to the life outside.
I remain wrapped up in my own problems,
Just barely beginning to want to unravel.
I am the least.
Who are the LEAST?
The least are people in the world who have some kind of problem. Thus, each person is among the least. Some are poor, diseased, in jail… but others are just sad, lonely, or lost. Others yet deal with problems like anger, conceit, or habitual lying. Every person is the least, and every person has been affected by the least. I invite YOU to email me at HowAmILeast@gmail.com and tell me something about your experience with the least.
Some questions you could answer: How are you the least? How have you been affected by the least? How can you help the least? If you’d like, you can even ask me about the Least or about this project. Lastly, pass this on to a friend if you want!
What is LEAST?
LEAST is a production put on by my school which is made up of a play interspersed with student art pieces, as well as a gallery for student art. All the pieces of artwork, like poems, paintings, or videos, as well as the play, are all connected to this idea of who the Least are. The driving force behind it all is this Bible verse: Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Ask me if you'd like more information.
Why am I doing this?
This paper is the result of a school project, but it’s more than that. It’s an attempt to talk about how every person is hurting in some way, and how we can all help. It’s also an invitation to anyone to check out the LEAST program at my school. The responses I receive will be compiled and presented to my class, and then maybe to the rest of the school. It will be completely anonymous (unless you really WANT to be known).
