~7th Place Editor’s Choice Award

‘Ticket to Life’ won ’7th place ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ and ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Masters Level’  in a ‘FaithWriters’ writing competition. USA, 2012.

To see the poem at ‘FaithWriters’ and to read all the lovely and sometimes not so lovely comments it has received click here.

Ticket to Life

We were young men and women
who were taking the world by storm.
One prostitute, one heroin addict
one boy prostitute, one transvestite
at a time, for the kingdom.

We strolled Sydney’s
seedier, darker streets
making friends
and handing out
sugar,
coffee with sugar,
sugar,
doughnuts with sugar,
did I mention sugar?
(Addicts love sugar).

One perilous evening
we stumbled upon
a young prostitute
who wanted a better life
she repented of her sins
and surrendered her life to Christ.

We were unable
to find a new home
for her that night
and agreed to return
a few days later
to pick up her things
from her brothel
and take her away
to safer, healthier places.

Return we did.
We could not find her,
searched and searched,
then spied her
across William Street’s
six wide lanes.

My pastor promptly
in his eagerness to help
performed a u-turn.
Immediately we were being pursued
by blue flashing lights.

The officer said,
“ Your u-turn was illegal,
I am going to have to give you
a ticket”.
Watching our young
sex-worker disappear
into the night,
my pastor replied,
“But officer you don’t understand,
I’m a pastor
looking for
a prostitute”.

This is one of many true stories that one gathers serving God in a red-light district. This young woman was rescued from her life on the streets and after much explaining, no ticket was given.

———————–
Thank you so much for reading ‘out for lunch’. If you would like to contribute, please do. Thanks Kel.