Last December

Stepping into a foreign land,

Leaving behind a life so grand, 

Ever ready for an adventure

Those were my thoughts last December. 

Ignorant of all, fully unaware,

Convinced that here I was to share

The sky above me blue and clear

Surely there was nothing to fear.

The little fingers held my hand,

So quickly had I been made a friend.

Together walking up those wooden steps, 

Fighting off a mental heart attack.

If gruel were food then so is water,

Further was I led to wonder

That if taste was absent in all water,

Then absent it was in the gruel they devour.

Even when I was named the 'Giver',

Funny how I was turned 'Receiver'

when it seemed as though they had nothing to offer

They helped to kill my inner monster.

I guess in all sincerity,

Although it sounds an utter absurdity,

The children I met to try assist

Were the children who made my life a gift.

Author's Note

This was written when I was a volunteer in Cambodia. It's a feel good poem, easy read, written simply. My experiences as a volunteer when I met the children there.