I remember being homeless

based on my true life story (I was 5-6 yrs old)

Walking the downtown streets of Houston Texas

My dad, my mom, my sister and me

The year was 1959

Homeless and destitute

 

Dad had been laid off from his job at E.W. Bliss

So we lost our home in Ohio, headed for Florida

The Sunshine State

But the land of palm trees and fresh oranges

There were no jobs to be had

Dad was a house painter by trade

Painted houses for a dollar an hour

Lived in Florida for about a year

Until the painting jobs were done

Stayed in a little house in a trailer court

I recall the holes in the floors and the walls

from termites, and how my mom hated chamelions

She would chase them with a broom around the house

With the help of our fiesty dog Skip

We lived near my grandparents home at the time

But times were tough in those days

And so we traveled to Texas

The Lone Star State

We stayed with my dad's brother for a spell

Dad had trouble finding work once again

No one wanted a painter and the factories were full

Came the time we had to move on

So as not to outstay our welcome

Thanks to my uncle owning a restarant

we were able to eat breakfast

We stayed at cheap run-down hotels

until the money ran out

Then we took to sleeping in our car

using tin cans and gas stations bathrooms

Collecting bottles and alluminum cans

for food and gasoline

We were a homeless family

out walking the streets of Houston Texas

Back in 1959

Dad still got a few painting jobs here and there

He saved up enough money for bus tickets

brought us all the way back to Ohio

We lived off of Soldiers and Sailor's Relief

Dad had to dig ditches to put a roof over our heads

and food on our plates

Often in the warmer weather he'd come home

with poison ivy and be so miserable

but he never gave up

he was a hard working man

though I must admit alcohol always got the best of him

In the winter he would wrap his feet in newspaper

to keep his shoes warm and dry

Thank goodness for sea rations

Dry flour, jelly, butter, dry milk, powdered eggs and spam

It kept us alive

Mom made tortillas for bread

Dad finally got a real job at refinery

Which in later years cost him his health

We moved into an apartment and then a house

I'll never forget the plight of the homeless

as I remember being there myself

 

Reviews

[The Autumn Faerie]

I couldn't imagine how horrible that would be.
I remember my parents' stories of when they were first married and I was little how they were lucky if they had a few dollars' change through the weeks, but we've always had a roof over our heads.

One thing I must add, though, is that struggle adds compassion to the soul. A true sense of understanding will always make a person well-rounded, and they'll be much more likely to want to help others in their community.

You know, I think it's one of those things most politicians are lacking. It's likely one of the reasons none of them seem to want to pass really things that matter.

[Admiral Kirk]

This is very sad and touching... Coming through this poem, I can feel sadness, but also a sense of monotony. Not that it's a boring poem, that's just the feeling that comes through. Like this life was somehow tedious... There is a strong sense of nostalgia as well. Kind of a bored nostalgia... Like... I don't even know... This is a really complex poem, I can't begin to describe it... Anyway, great job, this is a very touching story, and it's very cleverly been formatted into the shape of a poem. Good job.

[Writer CW Kirkland]

This is a very touching story, and it must have been difficult for you as a young child to experience these things. I wonder if this would be better formatted as a story in paragraph form rather than poetry. It doesn't seem to flow easily for the reader in its current format, and it might be easier to follow in paragraph form.

[Blue Sky]

it is until one walks the path of a homeless
then one would truly know and feel what it is like
to be homeless, and with this story poem, I have to
applaud for a fine piece of work, it follows through
really well, giving us a glimpse of the real hard life
as a homeless child with your family!
A really great piece of work you shared!!!

[PoetryXpressions]

A heartfelt write one in which I can say I can relate as my children and I lived in a car for months. I did odd jobs, collected cans ect....just like your family. It's hard and scary being there, most people don't realise they are just a paycheck away from just that. I too was laid off from my job. I Thank the lord up above for listening to my prayers and making us stronger as a family because of it. Sounds like it did that to you too. God Bless, PX

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A heartfelt write, very well composed. Thank you for sharing

[Carole]

Debileah, this is really a touching story. It almost brought me to tears...Your story follows a logical sequence and kept my attention from the start to the finish. I love to read stories/poems like this from real life experiences. There's just something about the "school of hard knocks" and lessons that we learn the hard way...Character builders! I have never met a person that have had a so called "near perfect life" that had the depth of character compared to those that have had a few hard knocks...Thank you whole heartedly for sharing such an intimate part of your life! Carole

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a nice fiction