outside the wind howls
and gnaws at the corners
of the old wooden house
inside the fire roars
and eats the trees memories
in hot flickering bites
we sit at the kitchen table
with mugs of steaming goodness
and chatter about the news
unthinking of those
who cower in windswept corners
cold to the bone,
remembering a forgotten warmth
of heart, soul and body....
the wind howls,
my heart aches
at my own government's
stupidity....
and the cold reamain cold
and the homeless numbers grow....
and compassion becomes a useless word
like the mewling of a kitten
was horrified to read that the city of Perth (Australia)had installed a sprinkler system in the courtyard of an art gallery .... to deter the homeless from sleeping there....