Born to Privilege
Beware the Heart which Lies Elsewhere
Born to privilege,
raised in abundance
food, shelter, clothing,
skin the right shade,
gendered dominant,
accepted,
educated,
expected
prepared
for success
to claim an inheritance
reserved for few.
.
Born to privilege,
but my heart lay elsewhere,
among the parched & barren,
desolate,
forsaken,
hungry,
ignorant,
deprived,
neglected,
expected
to be weak,
ill-equipped,
flailing
in failure,
insignificant,
malleable
to your will,
subject
to your whim,
easily
brushed aside
as nothing more
than a grain of sand,
sifting
in the wind.
.
But in the desert,
deprived
of green,
of anything wet,
where nothing is
nourished,
nurtured,
or grows,
grains of sand
there are aplenty,
more than the few
could ever comprehend.
When the wind stirs
& hearts begin to beat
once again,
those you’ve dismissed
will come for you
‘til you are become
but grains of sand,
too.
.
Will we have learned
from your mistakes,
your callous disregard,
your comfortable disdain,
& find the path
to the garden restored
for every grain of sand?
Or will we become,
like you,
the few,
foolish & unwilling
to accept
there is enough,
plenty for all
if only we will be
our sister’s & brother’s
keeper?
.
I was born to privilege,
but my heart lies elsewhere
among the abandoned,
unwanted
grains of sand.
The winds are stirring
even now
& we are coming,
a storm long-brewing
that will not be ignored.
.
Beware,
for engulfed
in the desert's
parched silence,
I was
.
nothing
.
but another
grain of sand
in the wind.
About the Creator
Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock
Retired Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church having served for a total of 30 years in Missouri, South Dakota & Kansas.
Born in Watertown, SD on 9/26/1959. Married to Sandra Jellison-Knock on 1/24/1986. One son, Keenan, deceased.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (24)
I loved the feeling behind this, Randy. It speaks to me of Roy's story from yesterday, that looking for the folk that need the attention and getting something from it too that is greater than the comfort of privilege.
Masterful and so impactful!
This is so beautiful, and there's so much truth.
Just beautiful.And sadly very true x Love the take on the challenge 🤍
Brilliantly and beautifully written!!! Love it!!!💕❤️❤️
love this. fantastic job. by far the best thing i've seen for this prompt, sheesh. super relatable too and i understand exactly what you're going for here. :)))
A brilliant entry, Randy. Good luck 😊
Asst. Pastor Randy - You could-maybe evolve this into a 'Schtickle' of Sand-Sunday-Sermon - Amen to That - 'j'
Randy, I do not know how I missed this one. Wow, I mean what a great entry into the challenge. I really cannot say enough.
Wow that was amazing Randy. Very well done. I had started to read the other day, but got interrupted and wanted to make sure I came back to finish.
Or will we become, like you, the few, foolish & unwilling to accept there is enough, plenty for all if only we will be our sister’s & brother’s keeper? This part hit me so hard. It was so deep. Loved your poem and the fact that this was based on the Arid challenge!
What an outstanding take on this challenge
I did not expect this to be for the challenge! Interesting. It certainly works!!
Impressive… I love “There is enough, plenty for all, if only we become our sister’s and brother’s keeper.” Powerful.
Phenomenal writing! BRAVO! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Nice message there. A beautiful gifted butterfly cannot stay forever in it safe cocoon. It must fly and share its beauty and learn life listen in the process of life
I love works done in abstract. This is really well done. Life is all about what is in our hearts. One can embrace it inwards or send it outwards. Nicely done.
A very intricate and thoughtful piece. Very Well Done!!!!!
Fantastic!!! Love it!!!❤️
Stark revelations! Excellent take on the challenge!
Wow Randy, I can relate to this piece as I too are but another grain of sand.
This is very effective!
Mesmerising feel here Randy. Many great ideas abound. Those last lines seem to fit poetry well don’t they.. so I liked this interpretation of the challenge! Well done! 😊
The winds are stirring. Yes. Great message and use of this challenge