No 'I' In My Soup

Today, I was hungry
While through errands I flew
I did not have much time
So a soup had to do.

I went to a diner
A hole in the ground
I found a small table
And sat myself down.

I ordered my soup
And impatiently waited
Then, when my bowl arrived
I was really frustrated

I asked the young waiter,
"Hey man, what’s the scoop?
There is no ‘I’
In my alphabet soup."

The waiter sat down
He looked right at my face
And said things to me
The put me in my place

He said ‘A’s for that addict
That walked through the door
She’s spent many years
Eating food from the floor

'B’s for that baby
Defenseless and weak
Being abused by his parents
And no words can he speak

'C’s for the cuts
On the arms of that girl
She just lost her boyfriend
He was her world

'D’s for that dog
The one covered in fleas
He cries the day long
But no one hears his pleas

'E’s for everybody
Outside of yourself
Who’s desperately needing
But won’t ask for help.

F’s for the father
Working hard every day
And comes home too tired
To find time to play

'G’s for a gutterbug
A sweet, homeless man
Who keeps himself sheltered
As well as he can.

'H’ is that husband
Who just lost his wife
She just passed away
She had just begun life.

'J’ is that jacket
All wrinkled and torn
It’s all that my friend has
To keep himself warm.

'K’ is those kittens
That cry for their mom
She was hit by a car
She won’t be back home

'L’s for the love
That’s so hard to find
With all of life’s stressors
That weigh on our mind.

'M’ is for money
We all strive to make
Just to make ends meet
Our livelihood at stake.

'N’ is for nobody
That’s who deserves
To wait for their next meal
While I share these words.

'O’ is oppression
That’s thick in the air
It weighs people down
But, does anyone care?

'P’s for the people
You see every day
The ones you bump in to
Because they’re in your way.

'Q’ is the questions
On everyone’s mind
Does compassion exist here
Is anyone kind?

'R’s for respect
Something everyone needs
That’s now so dependent
On the other’s deeds.

'S’, that’s the siblings
Separated at birth
They spent their whole life
Feeling devoid of worth.

'T’ is for troubles
We all have them, you see.
They happen to you
And they happen to me.

'U’s unconditional
Does that even exist?
Is it even a word
I can find on your list?

'V’ is for victory
The sweet, ending prize
The end, that’s so near
It puts light in your eyes.

'W’ is the witness
The one that you are
To all of the heartache
Of those near and far.

'X’ is a symbol
We’ve all come to know
It covers the places
Where no one should go.

'Y’ is the youth
That slips, swiftly away
What we all wouldn’t do
For just one more day.

'Z’ is the letter
That soon ends my speech
I want you to see
Just how far you can reach.

'I’ is for ‘self’
It signifies ‘me’
You need to look outwards,
To set yourself free

You need to see life
As an infinite loop
That is why, my dear friend,
There’s no ‘I’ in your soup.

When he finished his speech
My head, I hung low
My pride shattered beneath
His truth's mighty blow.

His words, in my ears, 
They rang so very true.
Now I search, in my soup,
Not for 'I', but for 'U'.
’

© Kelly Irwin
July 28, 2014