Through the apocalypse, glimmers of hope are caught...

Through the apocalypse
Glimmers of hope are caught
Like tears in a bucket
Or a snowflake on the tongue
Fleeting
We were forewarned
By the worn cardboard
In the homeless man’s lap
Amplified by the number of street corners able to provide shelter from stinging wind
And from rain that blasts sideways through crevices
Plus one more evening alone
Dirt of the Earth
Crust of my eye
Shadows rise groaning
Hidden by the cascading darkness of my eastern side
Sun setting
Arm outstretched, contents hidden
Sounds like a zombie movie, right?
That all he wants is a piece of your brain
A question answered
Consideration of humanity
And maybe some alms given
We do not differentiate between the two night walkers
Both are beggars, right?
We fast-pace step
Past their languid gait
We do not see that sometimes the only difference between a warm home and a cold street
Is one person who cares
And if you could look in the mirror
Reflect loneliness on a dark corner
I wonder if you would ask for help
Or cast yourself off as the scum of the Earth •

I am not sure about those in other countries, but here in the United States, the homeless are treated like dirt - they are ignored, avoided, and individuals resist touching them.

I have been homeless half my childhood; living in shelters twice, in a tent behind a friend's house once, and various other informal predicaments. Had family members or friends not taken me in, I would have been in shelters and in tents on the side of the road much more often. Traumatic.

People do not always realize that we are all one missed paycheck away from living on the streets. The homeless are human just like us... just sans home. They have the same wants and desires; the same needs and requirements. How would you treat your own self in the event that you become homeless? The old adage "treat others the way you would like to be treated" has never rung truer.
Tag a friend •

Poem from Four Years in Chrysalis
© Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq Publishing
Follow @AishaTariqa for more daily poetry •