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| Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Al Brady/ HAWKEYE |
He stumbles
Along merciless sidewalks
Mumbling
Cursing
Mind assaulted by unseen
demons
The damage tangible
Dignity and desire
Evaporate like sweat in
the sweltering heat
It’s simply a question of
survival
Passersby avert their eyes
nervously
Flickers of humanity
doused by fear
Could I fall this far?
Permitting the thought to
drop
Down the street grate
With their secrets
And their cigarette butts.
submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, 'A' List Toads, in which Fireblossom challenges us to write a poem using some or all of the word lists on the post
11 comments:
A powerful poem here. Truly I did not notice the words at all..as the poem flowed so well. I think you have come upon one of the reasons people avert eyes... no one likes to really consider that another year it could be them. Excellent!
really nice....i have a soft spot in my heart for homeless...spent a lot of time with them in each city that i have lived....they must be noticed more here of late because i keep seeing writes about them...
I have compassion for people who have no homes, no place to sleep, no food .. through no fault of their own. Your poem describes the emotional aspects of life for them - beautifully.
He's carrying his whole existence in his backpack. Great write, and I love the look of your blog - such cute mice!
A wow of a poem. Your use of the words subtle enough to disguise them completely.
Lolamouse you painted quite a view~
It is a haunting thought, so many broken souls~ Well Done...
You pinpoint the problem we have with the homeless--the fear is not of them, but of the potential to become them. Well-written and very real, LM.
and I always think as I see the walking wounded that once upon a time that was someones beloved baby.
and I wonder- what went wrong.
snap! that ending is great!
There is such a story in that image and you have given it words.
A potent message from your rearrangement of chosen words - well done.
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