Sestina

He wakes early each morning for his father,

who at night, drinks away the money.

Out in the darkness and cold, throwing newspapers,

he pushes away the intense pangs of hunger.

Alone and hated by his father, the son

only lives for his mother and God.

*

He goes into the church, unaware of God

to find peace from the wrath of his father.

From the moment of epiphany, the son

knows God and no longer needs money

to keep away his hunger,

as he carries on his back, the bag full of newspapers.

*

After delivering hundreds of newspapers

and praying all along the way to God,

who is the only one with the power to diminish his hunger:

his hunger for nourishment, faith, and the love of his father,

he struggles through his young life, where money

seems to be the cure for the pains of the son.

*

The boy grew into the honorable man, but still a son

to a poor woman who loved him for throwing newspapers,

even though he sacrificed his health and childhood for money

for his mother and siblings. Now, his life is in the hands of God,

as the son leaves behind the disappointment of his father

to fight for his country and end his hunger.

*

His journey is never easy, but the hunger

he once felt, now gives him strength. The son,

through each danger and obstacle, prays to his Father,

who carried him as child outside delivering newspapers.

The son knows that by God

he is alive today and that love does not depend on money.

*

His life was spent always lacking money,

but he no longer feels the hunger

for the love of his family or God.

He realizes the power of God and His Son

as he sits on the porch reading the newspapers

and never feeling hate towards his father.

*

God has led this man through a life rich in the money

of love for his Father and lacking in hunger

for he knows the Son gave him all he needs, as he sets down the newspapers.