Poem: "Some Kind of Help"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from ellenmillion.  It also fills the "justice" square in my 8-12-13 card for the Genprompt Bingo fest.  It has been sponsored by janetmiles.

People in trouble
want some kind of help, and
there are always those willing to give, but ...

Helping never helps
when it butts in from outside the situation
and ignores the circumstances at hand,
less about discovery
than colonization.

Helping never helps
when it's handed down from above
with command instead of compassion,
less about solving problems
than sweeping the annoyance out of sight.

Helping never helps
when it comes with demands for change
but no new resources to make that possible,
less about finding solutions
than shaming people.

Helping never helps
when it dispenses punishment
instead of justice and restoration,
less about righting wrongs
than making someone pay.

True help means
giving what the other person needs,
not just what you want to give.