She wasn’t a sidekick,
Well, not really,
Just kicked aside
You know what I mean
A nobody with a broom
Or a mop and a pail

That you pass in the hallway
But you don’t make much room for
Just a uniformed untouchable
Cleaning the toilets
Or yesterday’s spit-up
At a party you can’t invite her to
An unholy stink
Drifting through the doorway.

So you hold your nose at her
Or look down your nose
No, look straight ahead
Not haughty or disdainful
Oh, you’ve been taught, haven’t you?

You just don’t see her
Or even nod to her
So no one can say
That she’s even close
To being your sidekick
Where you work every day.

Dedicated to Bertha, one of the most beloved teachers of what it means to be a Christian in word and deed that I ever had the privilege to know, to even count as a sister in Christ Jesus.

Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart, I will not endure. (Psalm 101:5 ESV)