Before he was homeless, what was this man's life like?
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Winner (12/14/09)
You see me on the corner and look the other wayWinner: Bethany (Auburnrose)
The harsh truth of my life might diminish your day
You don't want to see me, to admit I am here
Or acknowledge you are as close as 1 tragedy near
I am faceless to you, a soulless hollow shell
But I once had a life beyond this wretched hell
I look at the photo of my little girl each night
And remember the hero I was in her sight
She would stand on my shoes and together we'd dance
Back when I had hope, and dreams, and a chance
I still wear the ring from my bride of 25 years
A symbol of all of the laughter and all of the tears
She deserves so much better than what I can do
When you love someone their needs must come before you
I was a success, I once made her proud
You never would have picked me out of a crowd
Then our baby got sick and the factory shut down
There was not another job I could find in this town
Unemployment checks, welfare, day after day
I tried but we could not survive this way
The house was forclosed, the car repossessed
We sold what we had and the bank took the rest
Now my family lives in spare rooms and on the floor
I desperately long to provide them something more
I could not watch the pain in their eyes day by day
So out here I came to try to survive, make a way
My spirit is broken, my life fallen around me
But another failure, a wino is all that you see
Not a father, a husband, a son and a brother
Just one of many, a lost cause, another
I am you fears in flesh blood and bone
To see me would cause you to need to atone
So in the shadows I live with my memories and hopes that remain
Of the man that I once was and desperately long to regain
Reason: I decided to post this cue after watching a man on the street being treated in a very inhumane manner. I wanted people to pause and think about the fact that these are people, just like you and me. Bethany captured a lot of those thoughts.
7 comments:
Whoa, that one is a little too familiar... I often wonder (and usually write) what their stories are... How did they get there? Where will they journey to next..
Anyway - rambling - there something for you at Redhead Dancing, btw.
this is almost too painful to write about since I know a homeless person; so I'll write his story
He was a hard worker, a good student. He had steady employment through high school and afterwards, went to community college, but decided to join the Navy to help with schooling down the road. He served a couple years and then got out, made a silly decision one day to drink a little too much and get in a car with someone else who had also drunk a little too much who drove and got into an accident; causing him to have some physical injuries that would prevent him from working some of the hard labor jobs he worked before and prevent him from re-enlisting into the Navy. And then the "economic crash" came and he had trouble finding a job. And then his mom kicked him out of the house because she thought he had stolen something (which was probably the case) so he ended up homeless or spending nights with friends as he could. He slept in the garage of a foreclosed house next to us and son came to know him and feed him. I came to know him and feed him too and welcomed him into our house until he stole a small sum of money of son's. He couldn't stay here any more but we always would feed him when he came by. He really tried to find a job but there are usually 40-50 people applying for 1 job here. And he was a man of color which was a strike against him plus he didn't have a permanent address. But against all odds he still tried to go back to school to get an education because he knew that was the answer to get out of his cycle of despair.
betty
"Before he was homeless, what was this man's life like?"
Like yours. Like mine. He just wants it back.
You see me on the corner and look the other way
The harsh truth of my life might diminish your day
You don't want to see me, to admit I am here
Or acknowledge you are as close as 1 tragedy near
I am faceless to you, a soulless hollow shell
But I once had a life beyond this wretched hell
I look at the photo of my little girl each night
And remember the hero I was in her sight
She would stand on my shoes and together we'd dance
Back when I had hope, and dreams, and a chance
I still wear the ring from my bride of 25 years
A symbol of all of the laughter and all of the tears
She deserves so much better than what I can do
When you love someone their needs must come before you
I was a success, I once made her proud
You never would have picked me out of a crowd
Then our baby got sick and the factory shut down
There was not another job I could find in this town
Unemployment checks, welfare, day after day
I tried but we could not survive this way
The house was forclosed, the car repossessed
We sold what we had and the bank took the rest
Now my family lives in spare rooms and on the floor
I desperately long to provide them something more
I could not watch the pain in their eyes day by day
So out here I came to try to survive, make a way
My spirit is broken, my life fallen around me
But another failure, a wino is all that you see
Not a father, a husband, a son and a brother
Just one of many, a lost cause, another
I am you fears in flesh blood and bone
To see me would cause you to need to atone
So in the shadows I live with my memories and hopes that remain
Of the man that I once was and desperately long to regain
After reading post from Bethany I have nothing to add for this day. Her's was just too good.
Absolutely and totally agree, but with one caveat. They are all too good and too real and bring us all a lot more understanding of a world we hope we never know.
Ah...that fish mural I made.
My big break? Oh, how I prayed.
But the city ran out
Of money, no doubt.
They thanked me, but I never got paid.
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