Empty pews and cold stone walls

The plight of the homeless

A stranger stood, he read a prayer
it echoed loud and clear,
off empty pews and cold stone walls,
there was no one there to hear.
For he that lay in a paupers cask
had neither kith nor kin,
had lived a sad and lonely life
battling demons deep within.
All had washed their hands of him,
of him and many more,
no compassion, empathy or love
no welcome mat at any door.
And when they found his frozen corpse
not a single tear was shed,
they zipped him in a plastic bag
just another one now dead...

A stranger stood, he read a prayer
it echoed loud and clear,
off empty pews and cold stone walls,
there was no one there to hear...

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Gee,, why and how do you find such words, such emotions!! . From start to finish there was more than tragedy, nothing sorted, no answers. A life e done, OVER. But REMEMBERING surely should never ever be over. There are so many who end that way Pedestrians casually stroll or break into a gallop past folk on the street, I wonder if they ever think of how such lives continue.. often with extreme sickness leading to an evil death.

I have to thank you for posting this, and for the sincerity you used. start to finish. And for displaying how things are in our and other so-called civilised countries.

[Gee]

Good morning Miss EmmaJ, The mind is a strange thing and mine I think is sometimes to stranger me to explain Why or where :))
Thank you for 'aving a butchers Eliza...that was us in my fair lady :) Jacob can be Enry Iggins.
Hope all is well with you.

[emmajoy]

Noticed that you often back away from the emotions shown in your writing,.

Am okay, thank you very much. Going to have a de-cluttering weekend with maybe visitors calling in. Happy to do nothing much at times. Hope you and your darlings have happy togetherness planned.

Right off to rehearse now.. but, admit I so wanted to sing (croak!) 'The Rain in Spain'

[kentuck14]

I'm afraid that empty religious ritual has no healing balm . . . for the living, nor the dead. I hear most churches in Britain are empty and cold. Too bad!
T

[Gee]

Not got a religious bone in my body so couldn't tell you.
Thank you for having a butcher's and commenting

[Rania M]

The world has turned stone cold, stone deaf and blind indeed. I feel your emotions here.

[Gee]

Thank you Rania

[Poetic Beauty]

This is disheartening and sad. Unfortunately there are many that have this happen when their time on this earth is over. Many different reasons and many different whys and how’s this happen but doesn’t make it any less sad

[Gee]

Thank you for dropping by and commenting

[John the Baptist]

Who knows what lands a person homeless on the street? This somber poem captures the sadness of the funeral of a pauper bound for Potters Field. Let all who are not in that situation take notice and give thanks. It could be them.

[Gee]

Thank you JTB

[duke]

i can almost feel the cold emptiness of that building and the sadness of that tragic moment.
what a wonderful job you,ve done at inciting such genuine emotion and painting such an accurate picture of one of life's tragedies.

Duke

[Gee]

Thank you Duke

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you are the stranger, Gee...saying the words....reminding us that this was a life...maybe without money or friends...but still one who existed and deserved to be noticed for surviving on the mean streets.
j.

[Gee]

Thanks Jacob. A lot of cold hearts in the world today.
Hope you are well

[barleygirl]

Your poem paints the most realistic scene of how this usually goes & it's sad that any life should be a point of total insignificance. About three years ago, we still commemorated every victim of gun violence in this country, but now with shoot-outs every week, we don't even remember the specific slaughters & forget about trying to remember the victims. I pretty much mourn what this world is & your poem is the poster child for this grief (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Gee]

Thank you Margie.
Am watching with a wee bit of disbelief as the he said, she said, let's all join in debacle unfolds today :(

[barleygirl]

I have to admit, I am incapable of leaving this one alone. How did I even get in the middle of it? I know I should just smoke a pipeload & go plant some seeds (veggies, I mean!) *wink! wink!*

[.]

Lovingly poetic! Reminds me of "Eleanor Rigby" in many ways....a lament on the true invisible in our societies. We have many of them in France, too. An epidemic of modern life, i believe. Sad but true.

I enjoyed the flow contained here. Lovely work, monsieur.:)

[Gee]

Thank you for your kind words Jamila

[Lorry]

An extremely sobering thought to contemplate in your words here Gee, of how society as a whole is becoming more and more fragmented, leaving so very many behind that live unseen among us, for a host of differing reasons.
The hollowness of the setting and the silence within it speaks volumes in this piece, but mostly speak to me of the silence that was most likely their life too.
How does it come to this? Better minds than mine have tried and failed to answer that, the most human of questions.
Thought provoking, on this silent sunday morn, leaving the reader to contemplate those that are no longer part of our life.
Your empathy shines in this, ya big adorable softie 😀

[Gee]

Milton Keynes is littered with society's teash, shop doorways, underpasses, pop up tents besides roads, so sad. All started out as part of a family but have ended up as abandoned strays.
Cheers Lorry, hope her kilt was nailed to your knees :)

[Lorry]

Velcro works a treat 😀