People at a homeless shelter do not
Look alike, talk alike
Or act alike.
In the day room where they also eat
One man is sprawled out on a couch
Beside two other men in chairs, one black
One white, both reading
Intent, alert
They’d blend in many places
I do not know their stories
But then I don’t know many
Wonder if I really know my own
It’s 98 degrees outside
The first day of October
These aren’t statistics hanging out
They’re people
Others sit against a shaded fence outside
Despite the heat
Despite the looks of passers by
They’re people too
With different preferences, delights, solaces,
Wounds and scars
Men, women, sometimes a young family
Trying to keep it all together or get it back
With the help of other people
Volunteers and staff who have their own
Blessings, hopes, and scars
Dec 13, 2019
Dec 13, 2019 at 7:59 PM UTC
People at a homeless shelter do not
Look alike, talk alike
Or act alike.
In the day room where they also eat
One man is sprawled out on a couch
Beside two other men in chairs, one black
One white, both reading
Intent, alert
They’d blend in many places
I do not know their stories
But then I don’t know many
Wonder if I really know my own
It’s 98 degrees outside
The first day of October
These aren’t statistics hanging out
They’re people
Others sit against a shaded fence outside
Despite the heat
Despite the looks of passers by
They’re people too
With different preferences, delights, solaces,
Wounds and scars
Men, women, sometimes a young family
Trying to keep it all together or get it back
With the help of other people
Volunteers and staff who have their own
Blessings, hopes, and scars