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.

[Jenny Davis]

I think that this piece awakens us to a real world, with real tragedies and losses that happen daily! I was touched by your empathetic perspective and your ability to capture these kind of lost souls (whom God loves tremendously btw.) I thought this was well written and grabbing to the heart. Excellent message :)

Beautiful ending too!

[B. Lapinski]

rooms and room were to close and the introductory rhyme should be made a little longer, otherwise a nicely done piece..

[Helen Woodward]

Chloe...You're a bright shining star in a dark world...respect is what I have for you and your words, never forgetting the "untouchables".....Thank you for this look inside a shattered heart and troubled mind, yet spotless soul xxxx

[Ms. Anthrope]

First things first-

Thanks for the welcome to the site..that was quite kind of you...

It's nice to see your effort to shed light upon homelessness....but, there's a 'but'...

This concept is one I see over and over and over and over again...

Girl...lost, alone..close to death...

I'm not saying I'm one who writes about s**t others don't think about...

But I guess I'm asking you to challenge yourself as a writer...

Your writing style is excellent...try to venture other places...

You might even surprise yourself...=)

[Rie Sheridan Rose]

This is one of the most beautiful poems I have ever read. Cries from the heart. Absolutely breathtaking. Couple of typos that need cleaning up, but with a little polish, this would be a publishable piece, in my opinion, and the message here is one that needs to be spread. Going straight to my favorites. This is fantastic, Chloe.

[TL Boehm]

so many little things contribute to the power of this poem. the short lines - like fragmented thoughts, the personal things - the comb...and the end of the piece...beautiful image.
This is eloquent - and brought tears.

[Lainie W]

Beautifully crafted, a story with a message loud and true. Chloe, your writings always reflect the passionate feelings close to your heart, and written with such an enticing delivery.
I'm glad that I read this.

[Jasmina Amethyst Pendra..]

This is a very good write. It is a family tradition to pick two holidays when we will work at a homeless shelter. At first, when i was younger, I thought it annoying. Now that I am older i understand what I am doing and how I am helping. Thank you for sharing this piece with me. ~Liv

[Bandi Brock]

This was a wonderful piece.
It sad, the world we live in today,
you pulled it off nicely, i enjoyed.

[Phillip J Clayton]

briliant poem luv, and awessom figuratives, i love it, and it also has a lesson about hwo we often pass and judge "jane do's" and "joe browns" on the streets.