Family is not just of the people to whom we are born,

but of the people who’ve touched and sheltered us from harm.

They are our teachers, ministers, and friends,

And not just our next of kin.

Family is the person who sat us down

and helped us figure out the direction, in which our lives are bound.

They are our neighbors who never speak,

the mailman, and even the men who sweep our streets.

Family is the vagrant this morning we saw on the street

and pretended we didn’t notice the shoes missing from their feet.

They are the people who stand at traffic lights

and make us wonder where they’ll sleep tonight.

Family is those who we openly embrace,

and even those we wish we didn’t have to face.

They are our mothers who loved us first,

and those who will watch us return to the earth.

Family is those who have taken a chance,

to help us change our circumstance.

They are the people to whom we choose not to speak,

Or fail to offer the shoes from our feet.