A Pair of Mittens . . .

The winter winds were strong, as they hurried down the street

Warm coats upon their backs, warm boots upon their feet

A little girl and mother, on a winter’s day

Shopping for some mittens, intended just for play             

To match the young girl’s coat, in its perfect shade of blue     

The one her mother gave her, just weeks ago brand new       

The one she wore when sledding, or when she had a snowball fight

The very one she’d spilled hot cocoa on, just the other night

Not the one she wore today, with fur around the hood

For that was worn on special days, that coat she saved for good

Instead, the one that had no mittens, to match its perfect shade

The reason they were shopping, on such a cold and windy day

And from store to store they searched, until at last, they finally found

The perfect pair of mittens, soft as feathers down

And the price for them was costly, but the mother didn’t care

Her daughter needed mittens, and they’d found the perfect pair

And with those brand new mittens, as snow began to fall

They walked in playful unison, from the shopping mall     

Through crowded streets they hurried, wind tossing up their hair

Tongues held out in laughter, catching snowflakes from the air

Hand in hand they strolled along, drawing nearer to their car   

When the little girl caught sight of, a cardboard box not far

And without a single warning, she ran from her mother’s reach

Eager to approach the box, that sat along the street                        

For she was certain of a voice, she’d heard escaping on the wind

A voice that compelled her, to come and look within             

Her mother tried to stop her; in haste she cried out, “no”

As the panic rose inside her, with the fury of the snow    

For what to tell her child, of the box there on the street  

One of many boxes, on the walk next to their feet

She longed to shield her child from what she knew was someone’s fate

But her words went unheeded; perhaps she’d spoken them too late

For her little girl had reached the box, and dared to look down in       

Through the open flaps that were straining from the wind

And there she saw a child in a woman’s arms held tight

Trying to stay warm on that fast-approaching night

Now there are things upon this earth, a child should never see   

To know just how hopeless this big old world can be

And so without a word, on that cold and windy day               

The mother took her child, and simply walked away          

For words could not be spoken, for how could she explain   

The vision of a child and mother, whose circumstance was plain

And so many times she’d seen them, on the walk next to her feet

The countless number of cardboard boxes, lined up and down the street

The ones she’d overlooked, a hundred times before

Believing in her heart, that she could do no more

For the problem was too grand, where on earth would she begin

It seemed a hopeless battle; one mankind could never win

And to pretend there was no problem, perhaps might make it go away

‘Til her little girl enlightened her, on that cold fierce winter day                                    

For she watched in awe and wonder, as her daughter left her side

And went back to that cardboard box, and dropped her mittens down inside

“They’ll help to keep her warm, on this cold and windy day

And I’ve got other mittens, that I can wear outside to play”

Where the mother saw uncertainty, the little girl saw need

And when the mother felt hopelessness, the little girl believed                 

That to make the world a better place, we all must play a part

And that a simple pair of mittens was the perfect place to start

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them

for what they have done. (Proverbs 19:17)