I Was Just Hungry — A Cry from The Traps Of Life 😥

A Nigerian Poet

I Was Just Hungry — A Cry from The Traps Of Life 😥

Yesterday, here on Facebook, a brother shared this heartbreaking image of a little mouse caught in a trap.

Its tiny eyes were swollen with tears.

Its paw was crushed. Blood stained the wooden floor beneath it. Yet, what caught my heart wasn’t the pain or the blood—but the words written beside it:

"I’m not a dangerous animal and I won’t hurt you. I was just hungry." 😥😥

It took me back—way back to my early years in Alagbado , Lagos State.

There was a young boy in our compound named Chima. He was always dirty, always sneaking into kitchens when no one was looking.

At least once a week, someone would shout, “That Chima don carry my garri again oh!”

I remember how we mocked him. Called him “thief.”

Some adults would beat him up. One woman even tied him to a tree once, under the hot sun, for taking a piece of fried fish.

But what we didn’t know—what we never even asked—was that Chima was just hungry.

His mother had died when he was six. His father, a drunk, barely returned home with enough money to buy a sachet of pure water. Most nights, Chima and his younger sister slept on empty stomachs.

So, he learned to steal to survive. He learned to beg, to sneak, to be smart.

And while the world saw a thief, what he truly was… was a boy in pain.

Now, years later, I see this mouse crying in a trap and I see Chima’s face.

I see the countless boys and girls in our streets.

I see the bus conductors who shout angrily—not because they enjoy it, but because life has never been kind.

I see the prostitutes in Allen Avenue , the young cult boys in Agege,

The jobless graduates walking the streets of Lagos and Abuja,

The countless prisoners in cells not because they’re wicked—but because they were just hungry.. 😥

Hunger isn’t always about food.

• Some people are hungry for love.
• Some are hungry for peace.
• Some are hungry for hope.
• Some are just hungry to be noticed—to be seen as human.

But what does society do?

We set traps.

We judge before asking questions.

We condemn before listening.

We punish without understanding.

And sadly, sometimes, even the Church—yes, the place meant for healing—becomes a trap too.. 😥

A brother falls into sin and we throw him out. A sister comes pregnant and we push her to the back. But have we ever stopped to ask: Why did she fall? What hunger was she trying to feed?

Beloved, this world is full of "mice"—innocent souls trapped not because they wanted to destroy anything, but because they were just trying to survive.

That boy who stole your phone may have lost both parents.

That girl in makeup and tight jeans may be the breadwinner of her family.

That man who sleeps under the bridge may once have been a promising young graduate—until life dealt him a bad card.

Let me ask you sincerely:

How many people have you judged lately without understanding their hunger?

How many "mice" have you set traps for in your heart—silently condemning them because their scars were too messy for your clean world?

The Bible says in Proverbs 21:13, “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.”

Every soul you ignore, every cry you silence, every pain you mock—you’re setting a trap for your own day of hunger.

My dear friend, life is deeper than appearances.

Sometimes, all a person needs is a listening ear, a plate of food, a kind word, or even just a smile.

Don’t be too quick to condemn.

Don’t let your heart become a trap.

Choose mercy. 👌

Choose kindness.🙌

Choose love.🎉

Do you know that, the small mouse in that image... Is.... 

That’s someone in your street today.

That’s a child in your church.

That’s your neighbour.

That could be you tomorrow.

Let this message touch your heart.

And if it does, don’t scroll away in silence.

Share it. Let the world know that not everyone who falls is evil. Some were just hungry.

©️ Paulinus Paul