Soul Food Poem by Edmund V. Strolis

I helped to lift her bags into her rusty van
Praise Jesus bumper stickers on the rear
My inner conclusions did not understand
There was so much more going on here

After all weren't all black women this way?
Inheritors as slaves of this Christian tale
A beacon of hope during those bad old days
Looking towards heaven to escape their hell

She saw me as a neighbor there to lend a hand
In keeping with her southern roots so far away
Transplanted like so many to these cold northlands
She found a Baptist church in which to sing and pray

We started a lifelong friendship, in that parking lot
One that led to a wisdom that was music to my ears
She reminded me of a truth that I had long forgot
Lost in a world of confusion across these noisy years

Before me was a woman that had dealt with sorrow first hand
A daughter lost to drugs, a grandson lost to the streets
Too many children's caskets for my mind to understand
Yet she has a smile and a hug for everyone she meets

These are mean streets that her tidy home is found on
An oasis for the lost to seek shelter from the storm
A fountain of wisdom when it seems all hope is gone
Offering a bowl of humanity and a blanket to keep you warm