By Lee Sheldon
How can we help the homeless—those who become astray
Are without a roof or bed, lost their hope & their way
No longer know a place they can call home
Must wander the streets cold, tired & alone
Don’t know who to ask to guide them right
They’re just ignored, removed from our sight
Don’t know where to go to get life back
All they understand is endless hunger, much lack
Sun is welcome as shelter from the rain
But the nights are cold & so once again
They are back to fear—no safe place to be
Sadly a doorway, box, park bench or tree
Becomes where they scrunch, in effort to be warm
Hoping there’s no rain or worse, a storm
That will take away what little they have—now
Nothing is left, governments don’t even allow
Them a room where they can sleep without fear
No end to this plight that grows from a month to a year
Surely something can be done to end this disgrace
How can the “powers that be” just turn away, so not to face
By not looking, they can ignore, not even see
The despair they cause to so much of humanity
How can they sleep knowing they have the ability to change
Situations of poverty, harm & these strange
Events that happen which robs human dignity
Out of control, out of home, so they’re forced to flee
Put out on the streets & just left to fend
For themselves with nothing, how can they mend
Broken homes, ruined lives, are all they ever had
Some politicians don’t even appear to be sad
Yet they do have the power to request & insist
Some help is given to people who exist
As poor, as needy, as sick or as ill
They must be given priority—let’s pass a bill
Enact into law—none in need, none go without
Show some heart & use some clout
Remove hunger, poverty & no place to stay
We call must protest to force changes today
Tomorrow’s too late—another poor soul will have died
For want of help as those tears they cried
Were left flowing, their begging fell on deaf ear
Politicians who claimed to be too busy to even listen or hear
Need reminding they’re elected to serve the rich, needy & poor
Should be pushed out the limo, actually get out the door
See for themselves just how others must live
Immediately make changes—stop taking, just give!
Lee is a participant in Megaphone’s community writing program
at the Gathering Place.
