A Deeper Kind of Love
A poem by Marquis Harris

Marquis Harris
(Reprinted with permission of the author)

Beat them, kick them, punch them, shove them
These are some of the ways we tell our children we love them.
"Beat it, Get away, You're nothing, Scram!
I don't want you or need you, I don't give a damn!".

We say that we want them
to mold them, to lead them
But then we go out and have them
and don't clothe them or feed them.

Now there are some who are treated with kindness and care
From the shoes on their feet to the bows in their hair.
But what about the ones who are treated like toys in a store?
If they come with a tiny defect, then we don't want them anymore.

"I don't want this one, he's too dark."
"And I don't want that one, she's too light."
Red, Yellow, Black, or White
All are precious in His sight.

And how can we say that children are more precious than gold
when there are some who are left out to freeze in the cold.
Not anything to eat or a family to call?
How can the children be our future if we're killing them all?

Not a hello or goodbye or
how do you do.
Don't you dare close your hearts
What if this happened to you?

Now there are some who bring us joy
While others who bring us pain
But we must learn to accept them all
Like the sun and the rain.

Beat them, Kick them, Punch them, Shove them
these aren't ways to tell our children we love them.
Teach them, Guide them, Scold them, Reach them
So they'll grow to seek God, to praise Him and thank Him.

For only He can supply that grace from above
I'm talking about that stronger, everlasting, deeper kind of Love!

---Marquis Harris, Methodist Home for Children & Youth 1999

Marquis is a very special young man who entered foster care at the age of 13. He has grown up in a  group home, where he not only survived, but thrived. Many, many people in his community love him and it shows.

He has a GPA of 3.8 and received a full scholarship to a university in Kentucky. He wants to study public policy and eventually go into politics.

Videos!

This poem was read by Marquis at the Celebration of Excellence. on June 17, 1999. We have 3 versions of the video showing the author reading his poem. Each of these runs about 2.5 minutes, but the video quality varies. The audio quality is the same on all videos:
[Review of the 1999 Event]    [The Celebration of Excellence Home]