Swollen Aching Feet
by Judy Jones
last night i had a dream
which today came true
not one person died homeless
on cold concrete streets
everyone had a pillow
on which to lay
their precious heads
there were angels dressed in white
oh so tenderly washing
their swollen aching feet
and beings of supernatural light
were at their sides
nourishing their bodies
minds and spirit-souls
for they had finally
found a home
suddenly my soul took flight
straight into heaven’s doors
it did soar
and i could see clearly
that the homeless person
living and dying
on earth’s coldest concrete streets
was my father mother
sister and brother
and me
ONE
by Judy Andreas
We scaled the wall of differences
and found that sacred place
Where hearts could beat as one,
and love it knew no race
Where history was quiet
and now was all we knew
and in the depth of union
It was just me and you
But life came back with violence
and crushed an open heart
And in the storm of discontent
We knew we had to part
This life is but a moment’s dream
and when this dream is done
We’ll wake up to eternal truth
We were indeed all one
Mental Health, Inc.
by Doug Minkler
Specializing in yoga, hiking, meditation
and coerced chemical lobotomies
(psychotropic drug regimens)
Our compassionate medical doctors
will grant you a label
and, in so doing, deem you disabled
Your pills won’t cost a cent
and we will help with your rent
Unfortunately you will get a little burly
and die 25 years early
Sorry, no more dreams
too bad about your self esteem.
Take the whites, the blues and the reds
they are all required meds.
Adherence means a check
what the heck
you get off the street
and something to eat.
It’s a package deal —
you get the pills
taxpayers get the bills and
the drug companies make two killings.
Health Warning: Psychiatric medications damage brains, wreck bodies and are addictive. Drug companies make exorbitant profits, but take no responsibility for the diabetes, massive weight gain, sugar-induced comas, sexual dysfunction, uncontrollable facial tics, personality loss, depression, heart attacks, strokes and suicide that their drugs cause. If you lose your prescription, you can go to any pharmacy, hospital or mental health center. You will receive assistance immediately. If you want to stop taking these drugs because they are not helping you or the side effects are too debilitating, be aware that sudden withdrawal can cause dangerous side effects, including death. You must have the close supervision of a caring, competent physician as you slowly withdraw from them. Good luck finding one.
Dust
by Claire J. Baker
It hurts to imagine a
suddenly-feel-good
homeless woman
once a potent poet,
now a seer for a day
scribbling in the dust
that soon drifts away.
Bits of Love
by Joan Clair
A man with soiled pants
sits against a wall
His head is down;
He does not look around
Beside him sits a cup.
It’s filling up with coins,
at least one dollar bill —
tiny, tiny bits of love.
Moving Right Along
by Richardo Yarbrough
Moving right along
being very strong
that’s what, that’s why
we do or die
that’s not the owl
sitting on the perch
saying hoo, hoo, hoo
that could be me, or you
that’s life!
Politician
by Michael Leslie
i’m a rich politician
in it to get more,
bidders get my vote.
how much is enough?
i enjoy my
influence
we’re all alone
in our cubicle
houses & cars
if i didn’t have any
who’d give
even one to me?
my god, the homeless
are on the street,
nowhere to lay their head.
The Hungriest People
Song by Carol Denney
the hungriest people in this town
aren’t starving in the street
they sit in fancy restaurants
and worry what to eat
the poorest people in this town
without a single doubt
conspire at boardroom tables
how to drive poor people out
Chorus:
and they rarely ask you for a dime
just your dignity, your rights perhaps
to serve a little time
and the little that you’ve saved
and all the little that you own
and to never ever call this town
your home
the loneliest most pitiful
don’t sleep under the skies
they walk past their own brothers
quickly with averted eyes
the saddest people in this town
don’t ask you for a dime
they want your rights and dignity
and make poverty a crime
the coldest people in this town
aren’t standing in the rain
they sit in influential seats
of power greed and gain
concerned about the tax base
and their property and lawns
clutching fear that grows
with every day that dawns