Nobody
Friday, 27 October 2023
| Xiaoli Yang
nobody chooses to be born deaf or blind
forever living in silent darkness, confined within four walls
yearning for a myriad
of colours and sounds of the world outside
nobody sits with withered legs
in a wheelchair on an abandoned path
arms folded, head nodding
slipping into a world of daydreams
nobody mutters, walking aimlessly in a ward
unheeded by inadequate staff
neglected by their loved ones
waning in a forgotten corner of society
nobody sleeps outside a church on a cold winter’s night
warmed only by a stray dog
staring at feet walking past their face
letting frozen memories evaporate in the shivering wind
nobody carries all their belongings
risking life to reach a foreign land by boat
lost in a sea of strangers
without a passport
nobody searches for lost children
digging with bloody hands in rubble from a bomb blast
wailing towards heaven
till tears are dry and voices no more
God loves nobody
Xiaoli Yang is an Australian Chinese theologian, pastor, spiritual director and bilingual poet. She serves on the executive committee of the Australian Association for Mission Studies and the editorial board of Australian Journal of Mission Studies. She has had visiting appointments at Fuller Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary and Boston University. Xiaoli has published widely, including her PhD monograph, A Dialogue between Haizi’s Poetry and the Gospel of Luke, many works on intercultural theology, World Christianity, Asian hermeneutics, Christian spirituality, as well as numerous poems (@xyangbridgingthegap).
Image credit: Mae La refugee camp in Thailand. By Mikhail Esteves at Wikimedia Commons.