posted June 10, 2005 09:59 AM         

I have been writing this poem for a long while. The impetus for this write came from my conversations with the "disenfranchised" homeless people and those who try to preserve the humanity of these women, children and men.

Their voices, more than any others, begged to be heard. Their souls cried out for justice. I simply have the luxury of the means necessary to bring them to a wider audience of humanity.

This is perhaps the most daring write I have ever attempted. My only hope is that THEIR voices echo loud and clear through my humble words.
..

Who am I?

I am me; humble and alone

I am your son, your daughter, and your ex-

I am your friend, your lover, and a skeleton

I am a woman, a mother, and a child

I am a former CEO, a POW, disabled

I am a genius, an ex-convict, and prostitute

I am a druggie, an alcoholic, mentally ill

I am an annoyance, an embarrassment, and a cheat

I am filthy, robbed of my humanity, beaten down

I am playing the system, faking it (or am I?)

I am choosing to live this way – I could work if I wanted

I am living under bridges, in libraries, dumpsters and cars

I am an angel, a threat, a danger, and a pitiful reminder of failure

I am demanding – begging for leftovers and money

I am despicable for smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol

I am not responsible enough to love others, so you say

I am the person you judge each and every day

I am me; humble and alone

How many times will people judge me – naked and exposed?

My life and all my worldly goods contained in a sack

My shopping cart filled with your disposable consumer goods

My dining experience is your garbage, dumpster for 1 please

My healthcare is non-existent unless I’m left for dead

My conversations with people are from a distance

My mind aches from watching the haves tip the scales

My soul, no longer intact, has been scorched with hatred

I am me; humble and alone

You don’t want to see me, you hate me, and you despise me

You pity me, judge me, curse me, you wish I would go away

You throw money at me in disgust; shout obscenities and sneer

You nearly run me over – justifying the act in your mind

You head to toe me with disgusted eyes then make me invisible

You fear getting too close for smell or threat of crime

You lock your doors; take the safety off your gun beside you

You tell me to “get a ******* job you loser”

You ban me from earning any money on roads

You ban me from public places you enjoy

You deny me my basic civil rights because I lack a home

I am me; humble and alone

What you don’t realize is this

What I once was and who I have become are irrelevant

What I need matters far more ultimately

Buy me a meal at a fast food restaurant; then sit with me

Talk to me; get to know my story

Keep some easily opened, non-perishable foods in your car

Give me the greatest gift of all - a smile

Remember that I am human, with wants, needs, and desires

Never forget that you too, are one or two paychecks away

From the life you now sit in judgment of

Remember that it is only with each other that we all survive

Alone and apart – we die of spiritual starvation

Souls executed for being nothing more than - fallible, human

Extend the hand of love and friendship – invest in me again

Retrieve me from the vast wasteland of solitude and depression

Fertilize my mind with ideas and hope once more

Don’t abandon me when I fail, or fall back on bad habits

Be firm, yet fair – for I am you in one or two paychecks

I am me; humble and alone.

posted June 10, 2005 11:58 AM         

SC, I feel a strong affinity for you ... almost as if I know you, and we share a common purpose. I know its weird, as we havent even spoken much on thsi board, but I feel you are not a stranger to me ...

posted June 11, 2005 03:53 PM         

The poem is by a poetess I recently discovered and admire a lot. But I do agree wholeheartedly with the message.

posted June 11, 2005 05:17 PM         

If I was homeless, my sign would read:

WILL BEG FOR FOOD