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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Key (02/14/13)
If I could…
I would find the key that fits,
The key that fits you…
If I could

If I could…
I would turn the key
That unlocks the door
Of the cell,
Your prison…
If I could

I would release you
From your solitary life
Lived within
Where you hide
Endlessly searching
Somewhere deep, inside yourself
Your cell,
You

A miscellany of bits and pieces
Strewn around
Disarranged, encumbered
Forever perplexed…

Who are you?

You learned language and
Understand, but
The world leaves you stranded
Adrift
An island in the ocean
Rich in all things, yet you
Persist
Always searching
Never finding
An answer

Look around you
And see
The day is bright
People laughing, chatting
You want to be there
To be like them
Don’t you?
You want to join their world
But
You don’t fit
You don’t belong

Loneliness destroys
Even the wisest
Even the simplest soul needs love
Someone to reach out to
To care
But you, in your prison of
Scantiness and
Relentless alarm
Don’t grasp that most basic emotion

You are different
Inside you are in turmoil, yet
The outer shell moulds well
In today’s society
Anything goes
Wear it; experience it; sniff it
If it doesn’t thrill, discard it
Move on, plastic people
Keep on moving on

A throw away mould
Makes throw away people
And you don’t belong
You are worth more
Far more
I’m not leaving you there

You…
A sensitive soul
Easily hurt
Seeking approval always
Without venturing out of your shell
Your cell,
You

Distressed, discouraged souls
Unfulfilled, who
Live inside themselves
Will never find a life within
But will surely find The Life
When they choose to look up
To The Source of all life

Some will scratch and claw and
Others succumb
To despair and rejection
But
No-one should be alone
In a world full of people
No-one should feel abandoned
In the midst of caring family

Where are you?
Why won’t you come to us?
We long to meet you

The clock never stops ticking
I watch it fretfully
Wondering if my time will run out before yours
And if it does
Will you even care?

You are special
God made you
God has a purpose
For you
And God gave you to me
I am privileged

But
When the day comes
Will God call you home?
Or will you slip through the net
Never accepting His gift
Of love
And salvation
Since you can’t

Will my prayers be enough to cover you?

Because
I will never have the key
To release you
To know your thoughts
To know your destiny

Only God can do that



*Thoughts on the matter of society’s indifference to people who are different. In particular, those adults with Autism/Asperger’s and similar Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Often, these troubled people have high levels of intelligence in specific areas; yet without help and understanding, coupled with patient encouragement, struggle in the department of life.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 1367 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Noel Mitaxa 
02/22/13
This throbs with credibility, as you express your hope that God may bridge a communication gap that constantly undermines any effort to either build a bridge yourself or to feel any sense of your own effectiveness. Yet prayer can unpick the lock of closed minds or of prejudice within the patient urgency of God's timing and grace. Great writing.
lynn gipson 
02/23/13
Beautiful and poignant love story. I only we could. Loved it.
C D Swanson 
02/24/13
This filled my heart with so many emotions it's difficult to begin to express just how much it touched me.

You've managed to bring forth a prolific message in a powerfully executed poem that ignites the reader while engaging thoughts.

Amazing job with this. This will do well with the Judges.

God bless you~
Cheryl Harrison
02/24/13
Such heart-felt prose. At first I thought it was about depression, but your notes helped me to see it was about so much more. Good job.
Judith Gayle Smith-Owens Vitouswykegardinerclark
02/24/13
I could read this to my husband and my sister, and feel it is totally appropriate to their searching hearts. Thank you.
Susan Montaperto
02/25/13
They are special and they are loved. Being the mother of an Asperger's Teenager I very much appreciate your concerns that you so poignantly express.
God bless.
Alicia Renkema
02/25/13
This is what I have been searching for almost 15 years now, the key, any key that will fit my son's world -- his pain so that I can enter in and let him know in a way that he can really understand how much I love him. My son has Schizoaffective disorder, a combination of Bipolar and a thought disorder. He is always going back and forth between sensing God's love and feeling like he doesn't fit anywhere, including with God. This piece of poetry - prose is still plucking at my heart's strings. As I read it, before I even got to your notes at the bottom, I thought, someone KNOWS my son's pain and knows my pain. I will be praying for whoever you wrote this about... It resonates too strongly for you not to have experienced this in some way personally in your life. Thank you for sharing your deepest heart...
Myrna Noyes
02/25/13
Your first and last stanzas said it all really:

"If I could…
I would find the key that fits,
The key that fits you…
If I could

...

"I will never have the key
To release you
To know your thoughts
To know your destiny

Only God can do that."

I suspected fairly early on that you were writing about those with Autism/Asbergers and related conditions, and I feel you portrayed their struggles very well.

Excellent job!
Bea Edwards 
02/26/13
So beautiful, full of love, and haunting. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into your world.
Loren T. Lowery
02/28/13
Written with compassionate love and empathetic understanding. Beautiful for just that - but then the meaning behind the words - keys to unlock a door with a window to view out into a different world and possibly understand. Congratulations, Danielle. So well done!
Myrna Noyes
02/28/13
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR E.C. WIN for this haunting, beautifully-written, thoughtful piece! WAY TO WRITE!! :)
Alicia Renkema
02/28/13
Danni -- I just knew you had to place for this exquisite piece that touched the hearts I know of so many. You are one of my favorite writer's here at FW and I always look forward to reading your work. Enjoy the Joy! Blessings girl...
C D Swanson 
02/28/13
Congrats Danielle on your placement. I really enjoyed your story. God Bless~
Judith Gayle Smith-Owens Vitouswykegardinerclark
03/01/13
Congratulations Danielle!
Judith Gayle Smith-Owens Vitouswykegardinerclark
03/01/13
Congratulations! May God bless you richly . . .
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/01/13
Wow!! This is so intense. I know you were thinking of autism and such when you wrote it, but I felt like you looked deep into my abyss and saw my shame and fear.

God spoke to me through your words. It felt like they were penned for just me and no one else. I now have the old song Killing Me Softly by Aretha Franklin as a nice ear-worm (not as gross as it sounds, ear-worm is slang for a song stuck in one's head) to my troubled mind.

This is amazing, beautiful and a bittersweet version of God's special I love you's just for me. Thank you so much for this. It feels like someone gets me and I so fear that I am totally ungettable. Again may I say WOW!!!!
Margaret Kearley
03/02/13
This is another entry that has my eyes brimming with tears. Perhaps all readers of this beautiful heart-searching piece, have someone in mind as they read this, whether it be themselves or a loved one. I know I have, and your amazing words fit exactly. Great sorrow and beseeching heartache but also Glorious Hope - With God, NOTHING is impossible. Thank you for writing such a wonderful entry and congrats on your EC.
Olawale Ogunsola
03/03/13
Placing 5th overall is no small feat. Congratulations!