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.

[Samantha S.]

that was completely heart-breaking and it almost made me cry. i commend you wholeheartedly for even thinking of writing this in support of the homeless. it makes me want to get out and bring them all home, ya know?

-sam-

[Ken Simm.]

A remarkable piece. Composed with compassion which is of course very different from pity. Ken

[Ladysue]

Chloe, you have touched on a subject that truly breaks my heart. The suffering and homelessness
in this world is far to great. You really portrayed the feeling of these people and presented
this reality very well. It was a heart wrenching story. Excellent.

[Ismael Rodriguez Jr.]

thanks for writing this. i have firsthand experience with homelessness. i've lived on the streets and in shelters i'm in an S.L.E. now. yes some of the people were lazy drug addicted bums and some had mental problems but not all.

[Constance L. Hartwell]

it's a sad fact that ppl don't give a rats a*s about the problems in america...i thank you very much for writing this poem...ppl need to read this you know? kudos!

[Forgotten Prophet Of A ..]

Confessions from anonymity: I've been homeless. Not like Jane, but I've felt the feelings and thought the thoughts of "how the hell did I get HERE?" This felt like more of story than a poem. I think writing, the written language, the ability to convey thought and emotion, is such a gift and should be treated and used accordingly. Because of that, I commend you on your subject-matter. Honestly, the subject did more for me than the style, although the image of her ignoring the entreaty of the man at the bakery for fear of humiliation and the lightening of her heart in looking at the girl's photo struck me. I liked the paragraph you included at the end, also. It was informative and appropriate and thought-provoking...and in a sense, completed the whole thing. FP

[Jillian Ashe]

This is a really good piece, an insightful look to how people are faring in our world. Thank you for helping to open my eyes a little bit further.

[Doug]

that was the most touching piece i have read in days. wow. you brought tears to my eyes. i would leave the statistics. they add power to the piece and show your support of the homeless. this is an issue, and those statistics prove it. beautiful write. well done.

[Jessy]

well, this piece really did give me the chills... if you don't mind me asking... what inspired you to write something like this? and i thought that your vocabulary was astounding... keep up the good work!

[Kate Wing]

That is so sad. It really provokes emotions. The language is just perfect.