Jane

I am featuring this because of the severe winter weather happening in most of the USA I thought about this last night when the temperature dropped to 12 degrees~ 'She forgot who she was"..

 

 

 

She walks the streets
no shoes adorn her feet
bare
bruised
rough, calloused

She finds solace in an
old suitcase
it holds all her belongings
she treasures them

A book of poetry
a purple silk scarf
a comb with most of it's teeth missing
like it forgot to visit the dentist
and
a picture
little girl
blonde
blue eyes with
a smile that lights the darkest rooms

She knows of dark rooms
she lives in darkness
she had a flat but her job
well, her job let her go
so the man said, "Get Out"
she tried to get another job
"we're not hiring", they always said

After a time , a long time
she forgot her name
now,
well, now
she roams the dirty boulevard
and wonders who she is
and how she got here
she wonders who the little girl is
who's smile lights the darkness in which she lives

People sneer at her
laugh, point , stare
a woman with faded blue eyes
dirty blond hair
in Salvation Army rags
they laugh
they make her feel
'uncomfortable'
they call her
the bag lady
among other names

Sometimes she cries
though she is used to it
her stomach gnaws with hunger pains
as she searches the trash and dumpsters
for a crumb
just a crumb
one crumb

The man at the bakery watches her
his heart is not hard
he calls her
she doesn't hear him
because
she doesn't want to

She knows what he wants
laughing
sneering
pointing
she walks past

Some nights she sees Angels
they call her name
"Jane"
"Jane"
"Hello Jane,
do you know
someday you will inherit
this Earth"?

Someday isn't soon enough for
sweet Jane
someday needs to be today

"Jane, don't cry",
they say
"someday"
"someday"
"someday"

"Please", she whispers
"help me find my way home"
"please", she cries
"let me be visible again"

She feels so alone
she is alone
but when she looks at the faded photograph
her heart feels lighter
the world
brighter

She coughs a lot
her house leaks
her nose runs
her stomach aches with hunger pangs

The Angels visit her every day now
"Jane, someday is now"
"Are you going to show me the way home"?

"Follow the light Jane"
She feels warm for the first time
in so long
the feeling is surreal
the light radiates throughout her
filling her,satiating the hunger
cold, loneliness

In the distance
beneath a tree of
fragrant blossoms
by a stream as clear as crystaline crystal
sets the little girl
"Mommy", she cries
"You finally came home"




 

Author's Note

I am glad I wrote this one on wordpad.. people need to be aware of this ... and not all homeless are drug addicts or alcoholics.. most are people like you and me .. it is said most Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless.. it could happen to any of us!

Reviews

[Lionel Braud]

this poem has a lot going, it is a narrative poem full of heeartache and hope, and has a harsh sense of realism, contemporary urban realism, lot of rhymes and off rhymes, slant rhymes, good use of dialogue, not many use dialogue, robert frost did, this incorporates lots of poetic styles.

[ROXANE DORSEY]

I Have many homeless people in my city. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece.

[Relic]

This is so moving to read. You've really designed it in such a way as to tug at the heart with every stanza. Incredible writing.

[Chloe..Across the Universe]

Thank you so much relic she seems real to me some how
Thanks for reading her story

[MOON]

Poignant storytelling and true there for the Grace ... luck or circumstance go all of us.

[Chloe..Across the Universe]

Moon thanks very much kind words are. so wonderful

[Trace]

Recently a bishop at a local church dressed up like a homeless person and stood outside his church one sunday as his congregation arrived to see how they would react.
many ignored him, some went out of their way to avoid him, a few even asked to go to the other side of the street for he was not welcome there. He cried that so may "good" Christians would treat him this way.
there were however some that surprised him and invited him in to join them.
only one person knew about his plan and when the sunday meeting started he invited the homeless man up to say a few words to the congregation. He gave thanks to God for all he had and thanked those who invited him in, then stood before everyone and removed his costume.
He invited all to think about who they may be turning away from Gods house and what Jesus would have done.
we are all Gods children.

Something we all need to remember,,, especially at this time of year.

Thank you for the wonderful poem.

Trace

[Chloe..Across the Universe]

Trace a great story showing the face of humanity
I enjoyed the story and I thank you for sharing and reading.
Janes story means a lot to me

[Jess Holden]

I love it

[Elizabeth]

This broke my heart... the invisible woman in the purple scarf who talks to angels. You are so right... There but for the grace of God go we. It could be any one of us out there in the dark. This is beautiful. And I'm glad she found her way home.

[Rossen]

You bring her to life in the world you created, she has inherited it for a life time...
This is truly a timeless treasure, glad I found her, as I like meek.


Rossen

[J.A.N]

amazing, I've never, ever
read poem about being homeless.
and it's just a sterotype, drug addicts and alcoholics
why can we not realize, sometimes, some of us
just couldn't keep the job that heated our homes...
beautifully written, and I love that you wrote about this subject.

great write;
-j

[Magdelena]

This was beautiful, outstanding and it so made me cry! I was so engrossed inside your words that I felt the tears, yet didn't realize it till I was almost done and frankly was shocked.. Many I have felt, some have made me tear up, but yours actually made me cry! How powerful this was. Yes many of us are one paycheck from being just where this woman was. Your imagery was superb!

Okay here I go again..

Mags xx