Day 24 - OctPoWriMo 2019
Breathing
Crowds
Breathe mist into icy air
Scurry along this dark evening,
Eager to get to ...
Theatres, Shows, meetings with
Friends.
Keep cold at bay with
Furs, scarves, hats, gloves.
Hurry past...
Past railings
Where you're sat on
Your cardboard mat
Past...
You...
In the air
In the air
Tempting aromas - burgers,,
chips, onions,
chips, onions,
( I've always loved the smell of frying onions).
You,
Hunched over,.
Hands gnarled, red
"a man of the road".
They, look away.
Are you invisible ?
No, they don't want to see..
Don't want, to "get involved"
Make excuses:
"There's no need for anyone to be
Hungry in this country"
Your blanket,
pulled up under your chin,
pulled up under your chin,
little protection.
A small family notice,
See you,
Are moved,
Bring coffee, chips.
A cheery word,
Acknowledge you,
Listen to you,
Then go their way,
You, watch,
Hands caressing warm cup
You, smile...
Hands caressing warm cup
You, smile...
Yes!
ReplyDeleteUntil I moved out to a very rural area just about six weeks ago, I lived in the suburbs and worked in the city as a courier. I drove past the homeless shelter multiple times during my shift. I would see elderly people outside the shelter, handicapped people in wheel chairs huddled together for warmth, people sleeping on grates.
There really is no excuse for this, but the fault does not lie with those who are homeless. It lies with a twisted Draconian system which adheres to a belief in social Darwinism.
If it weren't for my son allowing me to live with him, I would be one of those people, and well I know it. I can't work a normal job at this point. My mental health has always been fragile, but during the past few years, my physical health has drastically declined. Many homeless people live with severe mental illness.
All right, hopping off the soapbox now.
I greatly appreciate this poem.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. And really happy that you appreciate it , especially as you've such a personal connection to the problem of the homeless.
DeleteThe little family in this piece was actually me and my husband a a few of our children. We were off to the theatre.
As i say when we go work with the homeless ministry, i don't care why, i just care.
ReplyDeleteIt is so needed now, this work. The winter is especially difficult and many homeless people die .
DeleteThank you for your comment.
A sad reality which we don't want to accept.
ReplyDeleteIt's there whether we want to accept it or not. If we all did a little and stopped pre-judging, a lot would be helped.
DeleteThank you for your comment .