Spare Me Some Change

I see you sitting on the sidewalk, tattered and torn

With a dog beside you that looks so forlorn

Where the years have been cruel, the marks they show

And it seems as I watch you, tears start to flow

And I stand and I wonder, what life have you had

Are you being punished for something so bad?

And you see me standing there and look at me so strange

Then a whispery voice mutters, “Spare me some change”

As I walk down the road, look back I must

But you’re no longer there, just a cloud of dust

And I can’t get it out of my head, I recognise your face

Who are you? Where are you? What is this place?

Well I go to my house, comfortable but not rich

A choice for my meals, to decide which

And all the hot water, the towels are arranged

Then a ghostly voice whispers “spare me some change”

Well the hot water is soothing as I lie here and think

And the wine that is chilled, I can now drink

All my worries they leave me and smile I do

Then I dress in my clothes, so crisp and so new

Then a loud bark awakes me and I wake with a pain

And the dog that’s beside me, licks me again

And the people they pass me and look at me strange

And I whisper as they pass “please spare me some change”

©sonofdel 2011

I wrote this because when I lived down in Bath I noticed the difference between being homeless and being without a home.  Homelessness is usually caued by the individual, doesnt want to pay rent, lazy, violent etc... Being without a home is usually not the fault of the person but rather a change in circumstance, a lost job, a mortgage they cant afford to pay etc.  Its hard sometimes to tell the difference unless you actually talk to them, instead of walking past them and pretending they dont exist.