Lady in the Park

Existing for today
Dreading yet tomorrow
Underneath her blankets
Hiding from the sorrow.

Walking in the twilight
Having boxed up yesterday
Getting ready for someday
Then carrying it all away

Yes, "Stiff upper lips
Tying up the bootstraps"
Smiling at the others
Keeping warm underwraps

Dying on the inside
A brave face to the world
Before no one noticed
This scared innocent girl...

Who grew up too fast
Who learned way too slow
Who didn't get much love
Who didn't get to know

Torn twisted images
Now left in her mind
Left by those ones
With all those great designs...

The world works like this
The world works like that
While they sat and spoke
And grew large and fat

Now outcast and alone
She wanders through the park
Looking for some way
To rise and make her mark

Others see wild eyes
And hair all unkempt
Another lost child gone
Without a place to rent

I see a dear soul
Who has lost her way
Woe be to those
Who hurt her everyday

A child of the Lord
A beating post of man
A broken spirit mourned
But loved by the Lamb

"Unto this least of these
You do unto me"
She needs someone to care
And guide her where to be

The kindness of a smile
Nice words could mean so much
To help bring her back
To get her back in touch

A long road she went
Hurting all the way
No one understood
She's had no place to stay

Like garbage on the curb
People pass her by
Shake their heads and say
She deserves where she lies

If they only knew
Her sad story of abuse
They might break her chains
Help untie her noose

Lady in the park
With the blank vacant stare
Is still inside
If only someone cared

(I wrote this poem about a ficticious homeless person for far too many people think that homeless people choose to be homeless as they like this "lifestyle". There is a story to each person. Being homeless can be a downward spiral of things going wrong and most of us live paycheck to paycheck on the brink of joining the swelling ranks of the homeless)