Forced to live as a homeless person
I cannot bear to imagine
I try
I cry
Where in the dark would I be safe
Where at night would I sleep
Anywhere
Nowhere
How would I find a friend to trust
Someone I could count on
To keep me
Company
What if the weather turned really cold
What would I do but shiver
Quake and
Quiver
How would I find nutritious food to eat
Would I even have an appetite
Would I
Beg or steal
How do I sleep in my comfortable bed
While others are living homeless
I try
I cry
By Carol Ann Hoel © December 27, 2010
_________________________________
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 –
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Cah4el's Blog 
I so wish that not a single creature on this earth was homeless. Its so horrible, to not have a roof above your head.
I hope soon we will wake up in a morning when no one will be homeless. It was far better in ancient ages when people could atleast build a hut to live in.
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Yes, I agree, Trisha. It’s a heartrending situation. My heart just bleeds for these people. Even in ancient days there were cripples that had to beg for a living, but I don’t know if they were homeless or not. Perhaps their families took them in. Many families do take in their loved ones, but many homeless people have parents and other family that live in places that enforce occupancy regulations making it impossible for them to take in their families. Thank you for caring about the homeless, Trisha. I believe we need to pray for them until hope reaches each one. There are not enough shelters any longer. Blessings to you, my dear friend…
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Many homeless people in Minnesota move from one warm building to the next during the day when they are kicked out of the shelters each morning. Its too bad they aren’t allow to stay in the shelters during the day and put them to work helping with what needs to be done at the shelter each day if they wanted to so they wouldn’t have to keep moving all day.
I wish there weren’t any homeless people out there and all were safe, secure and warm in homes of their own.
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Are there enough shelters where you are? Probably not since they must make people leave during the day. I think they do this in warm climates, too. I know they do in Florida. I’ve heard, too, that sleeping in a shelter isn’t safe because of the danger to them from some that steal their few belongings and trouble them in other ways. Life is hard for them. I can’t imagine being homeless where winter is severe. Thank you for visiting and for your comment. I know lots of us care. We must pray for them. Blessings to you…
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Its a horrible thing. The thing is so many of us could be in the same situation regardless of how much we think it could never happen to us.
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Yes, Duke, many think it’s very unlikely, but it’s possible that anyone could become homeless. I pray everyday that our economy will improve. Thank you for your caring heart for the homeless. Blessings to you…
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Pingback: Homeless (via Cah4el’s Blog) « Duke1959's Blog
I had some of those same thoughts this morning as I stepped outside and my fingers started to freeze. I cannot imagine all the terrors of being homeless, especially for children who have to live on the streets. I’ve heard many people say that you shouldn’t give homeless people money because they’ll spend it on drugs or alcohol, but one man I met said that we should give whatever we can because God met us where we were, and so often we abuse the gifts he gives to us. That’s a good way to think of it, I think. 🙂
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I agree with you on giving money to the homeless. I’ve often thought that my money gift might go to drugs or alcohol, but, you are right. God met us where we were when we needed help. If nothing else, a gift of money to a panhandler shows him that people care. With our gift comes prayer, and prayer reaches a God who knows the need exactly. Blessings to you for caring about the homeless…
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Carol Ann-
homelessness is hard to think about–difficult to unravel, to try to find the solution for…
your poem speaks right to the fear of it, the helplessness, the loss of hope…
and also calls for us to do something…something…
to help.
blessings
jane
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Jane, you have a tender heart. My heart breaks for homeless people, but I don’t see you or I, or even groups like churches or governmental agencies, being able to do more than place a band aid on this crisis. There is only One that can help. We must pray for our country, for the economy, and personally, for any homeless people we know. Thank you for stopping by and for addressing this growing dilemma with compassion. Blessings to you, Jane…
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Wonderfully worded, Carol Ann! Because I have a comfortable home and loving family I find it hard to comprehend what homelessness is like. I want everyone to have what I have because when they don’t, I feel guilty over my excesses. One thing I discovered, however, is that some homeless people prefer their outdoor lifestyle to living in a building. Street people in Vancouver sometimes have to be coerced into using shelters on frigid nights. Some even refuse. Our church collects and distributes warm jackets, socks, mittens, toques, sleeping bags and blankets to those who insist on remaining outside, but when you find it’s a lifestyle of choice for some, my sympathy becomes a bit jaded. Of course, there are many on the streets who aren’t there by choice and my heart aches for them.
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Thank you, Carol, for your kind words. I know there are many homeless people who live homeless because of mental illness. We had a homeless lady where I came from. City officials did everything they could think of to help. She actually had plenty of money in trust. The city stepped in and found a way to provide her an apartment, using her funds, but she refused to live in it. These people are in the minority.
There is another class of homeless people that are not motivated to live another way because of their mental instability and inability to keep their jobs, and often inability to find jobs. And there are the substance abusers that have been consumed by the high cost, financially, mentally, and physically, of their addictions until they become jobless and homeless.
Shelters are notoriously dangerous and many homeless avoid them for that reason. If they have anything that other more experienced, ruthless homeless persons can use to turn into cash, they will steal it from them while they sleep. Violent skirmishes may break out in some of these places when crowded with so many. I think your church distributing sleeping blankets and warm clothing to these people was a really helpful thing to do. I’m not sure how they launder them, but panhandling is probably the answer to that.
The saddest part now are the numbers of people having lost jobs and not able to get other jobs, because of our poor economy, before they lose everything and become homeless. These break my heart the most. Not everyone has family that can take them in. Many live in apartments that have strict occupancy rules, and violations would render the helping family homeless, too.
Broken homes cause many to be homeless, particularly men, who, if they pay child support don’t have enough left to keep a roof over their own head, and if they don’t pay child support, go to jail, and come out homeless and jobless.
I didn’t post this poem to make anyone feel bad. We didn’t cause people to become homeless, and we can’t fix it. I know. I tried, Carol, for my own family. I made myself and my husband poor trying to save my family. Only God can touch hearts, and in many cases, I mean the hearts of the homeless themselves. Only God can intervene and lift them out of their distress and give them a life. He has a purpose in all that He allows, and He is able to bestow jobs and prosperity on anyone He chooses. We must pray for our homeless community. This, I see, is our main part in this. Blessings to you…
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Beautiful/sad poem, Carol. It’s easy to become insulated in my comfortable life, in my neighborhood and area of town where homelessness isn’t readily visible. I cannot imagine the emotions that they must feel and I’m fortunate to have never been near homelessness.
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Janna, thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it very much. Thank you for your comment. My heart is burdened for the homeless in our country and in all the world. I am not isolated from it. Perhaps there is a purpose for that. My heart spills out and good people like you join me in caring and praying for them. Blessings to you…
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thank you for your realistic look at those less fortunate. I pray that their needs are met.
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Thank you, Suzi. I think that’s what we should do. We must pray for them, because God is the one who can help. I believe He will help them, one by one, as we pray. Blessings to you…
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I can never quite grasp why the world is so unfair and so unbalanced; why do some people have so much and yet others have so little. All we can do is pray to help those in need and strive to help them where we can.
I am not sure we should feel guilty about what we have, but rather be aware of how we can help others with our fortune – even if that is via voluntary work, buying food for a homeless person, or even smiling at people who often feel invisible.
Thanks for posting this thought-provoking poem Carol. Blessings to you xx
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Yes, Chloe, there is no reason to feel guilty. We should feel compassion, give when appropriate, and pray always for them. I believe there is hope for them through our Lord blessing them and our nation. My heart goes out to anyone in need, and I know that you care also for the less fortunate. Blessings to you multiplied, Chloe…
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So poignant! I have been thinking about that here in Rio because there are so many sleeping on the streets.
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It’s very sad wherever it happens. Thank you for visiting and reading. May your Rio journey and stay be a blessing to you…
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Thank you for that touching poem. I remember first being touched by the plight of homelessness as I read a scientist’s cry for attention to the matter on the front page of the NY Times, back in 80’s. And still… there is not enough being done.
I was horrified last summer to see tents erected in parks, inhabited by the homeless. It brought me to visions of scenes in “Cinderella Man” of the great depression. With all these homes facing foreclosure, there will be empty houses and people sleeping in the streets.
Our government is still cutting jobs, when will they wake up?
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Thank you for stopping by, Aligaeta. There are more and more homeless people with the bad economy. It’s scary and sad. I am hoping that things will start to improve this year. We can only wait and see. Blessings to you…
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