20 Tuesday Dec 2016
Tags
#poetry, cold, dorindaduclos.com, homeless, humanity, life, Night Owl Poetry, no home, poems, rat race, street
People walk by me, day after day
Scowls on their faces, as they look my way
Night after night, braving the cold
Wondering if I, will ever grow old
Here, on the streets, I am, all alone
But this is the place, I get to call home
Hoping that one day, I may really embrace
Once again feeling human, in this lousy rat race.
©2016 Dorinda Duclos All Rights Reserved
Photo via Pixabay CC0
10 Thursday Nov 2016
Tags
#poetry, cold, dorindaduclos.com, homeless, humanity, less fortunate, life, Night Owl Poetry, old, poems, prayer, weather
Cold, like the rain on a winter’s day
Callously sticking to my skin,
Old, like blackened snow, I stay
Draped in clothing, wearing thin
Shattering, chattering, subzero illusions
Numbing my senses, in vain
Chattering, shattering, icicle profusions
Looking for warmth, to guide me again
Stabbing through me, sharp and jagged
The pain just won’t go away
Leaving me breathless, hopelessly ragged
I fall to my knees, and I pray
The colder weather is approaching, Reach out and spread the warmth in your heart to those less fortunate.
©2016 Dorinda Duclos All Rights Reserved
Photo via Pixabay
17 Saturday May 2014
Tags
#AmericaFirst, bag lady, homeless, Night Owl Poetry, poems, poetry
Displaced, job lost, she takes
to the streets in search of the
impossible
A wheel squeaks on a cart
as she pushes, the basket
filled with boxes and bags
A treasure trove
of all she has left, memories
of a life left behind
Picking through the garbage can
She looks for a bite to eat, a piece of
bread, a tossed apple, hoping for
a scrap
Finding nothing,
she continues, afraid to stop
moving forward toward a destination
unknown
As the skies rain down
She finds no protection
from the elements that pound
her unprotected body
Talking to herself, she asks
why, as leering eyes
wait in anticipation, an opportunity
to take all that is left
And in the darkening night
a street lamp gives no comfort
only a soft glow illuminating
the eyes of a lost soul
©2014 Dorinda Duclos All Rights Reserved
29 Tuesday Apr 2014
Tags
You walk by me, a look of disgust
on your perfectly made up face
You’ve already labeled me, without
even knowing me, because
I live in a cardboard box on the sidewalk.
I am no different than you, except
I fought for my country, so that
you could live in freedom, I watched
as my brothers and sisters died, so
many didn’t make it back home, and
those who did, were scorned by you,
the perfect person who never saw a single day
of bloodshed, agony, horror
I live in this box because my country has
pushed me aside, and won’t give me a chance
to be me again, and so,
all you see is a dirty, unkempt man
who begs for coins so he can eat,
who takes up space on your
beloved ground, my ground, our ground
I did not ask to be thrown into combat,
I offered myself because I love this country
I fought for her honor, not mine
And because I am a soldier, you blame
me for the war, and turn your back on me,
this country I love, that continuously cuts spending
to the veterans, so that I cannot live the life
I so often miss
You see, I am human, same as you, except
I don’t have nice clothes or a fancy car,
A warm house or food on my table.
I live here, in my box, my home
in the hopes that one day, when I see you
walking down the sidewalk, you’ll
stop by my home and perhaps give me a smile
or shake my hand, maybe even
chat for a bit to learn why I am still here
All I need to know is that you see me, and understand
That I am a proud American….
That I am no different than you.
©2014 Dorinda Duclos All Rights Reserved
12 Tuesday Nov 2013
Posted in Life, My Thoughts
Tags
It’s that time of the year. A time where we give thanks for all we have. A time to gather with family & friends, around tables abundant with food. So tell me, why is it only around this time of year, that we share with others the things we are thankful for?
As I see my friends on Facebook, posting about what they’re grateful for, from having their kids spend time with them, to finishing a list they started last month to whatever else happens to pop up that day, I have to ask them….Have you ever really sat down to consider what you’re truly thankful for, outside of the material things you have in life? Aren’t there more important things than just the new car, the house, etc. Yes, of course we are grateful for a roof over our heads, food on the table, a stable life, healthy children. These are things to be grateful for EVERY day, not just during the month of November.
We live in a very materialistic world. What about those who have no materialistic property? What do they have to be thankful for? Have you ever stopped on the street and offered a homeless person your lunch, your gloves because it was cold? Most of us walk by. I had the privilege of knowing a man who wouldn’t think twice about buying someone a hotdog, even if it meant he went without, to make sure they ate, to give someone his gloves because they had nothing and shivered from the cold. His family would joke that they had to keep buying him gloves. That man was my uncle, Gino. Sadly, he left us ten years ago this past October. He is who & what I am thankful for. For showing me it isn’t all about what I have but what I am able to give so that others can also have.
This holiday season, and all year round, when you have that something extra you picked up from the grocery store because it was on sale, take it over to your local food bank. They don’t just need help during the holidays, they need it all year long. If you’re not sure where your local food pantry/bank is located, you can call your municipal building, church or synagogue for further information.
Copyright 2013
All Rights Reserved
Original photo via takingtheworldonwithasmile.com
Night Owl Poetry - Dorinda Duclos 