It is odd how things come to ones mind out of the blue.
Last week I met this homeless man who inspired a poem for really no reason, now I am no poet but the words just came to to me while text messaging with a friend.
He appeared in my sight after we got out of Bar 107 on so called “Reggae Night”. After calling it a night we headed out the joint towards Main st, no matter what if you in the area your most likely gonna get hit up for change by the homeless population left in the vicinity. One of my friends knew a few of them from working in the area so it was pretty normal. I myself never really been scared of homeless, I usually am real curious about their lives and many times I like to talk to them.
Photo from Google
“He” came up with a thin women who looked like she just got out of shower,she had a towel wrapped around her head ,her clenched jaw mumbled a few words I didn’t understand. They where pretty nice just asking for the usual,but for some reason the one older homeless man intrigued me to ask a few details about his life. He kindly answered a few common questions until he got distracted by my friend digging change out of his pocket, he quickly looked away and forgot our conversation.
The next day at work around noon I just thought of the man, I did not even know his name but I wondered what he must be really like under the mask of drugs, I just started texting these few words about him to my friend…
Zombies with a gleam in their eyes
The “change†they need to need to feel the high going down their veins
He told me he was from Texas, now he is on the tires that hold his life around Downtown LA
He is forgotten by his kids
The skid marks in his heart
The holes in his brain leading to the times in his life
He is seen as a monster to most, but once human
He is now in his home, popular with the grime that lies between the sidewalk cracks
I can see between the gaps in his smile into his 60 yr old soul,
the little boy he once was.
Just the thought of him having kids and him being a kid him self at one point made me realize a lot of the times we forget they are humans as well.My friend said the couple where both like kids, when he was getting his change out they where all excited saying ” I want some too” like kids wanting candy, so in a way my vision of him being a kid was still there in a different perspective.
Photo from Google
Dona Junta the poeta should be your new name
Great post. Thanks for sharing your story & poem and for humanizing this often dehumanized population.
that is a very good poem..
some people call me naive when it comes to the homeless people on the streets. I know this homeless man named Joe and his four legged friend who he put first before his own. i became close to this man and his dog learning about his life but i too am guilty for i looked at him different before i seen the light. they are just people like you and me so next time you pass the homeless, don’t be callous because they are harmless, so smile with kindness because they too have hearts.
thanks girl for sharing and taking the time to post and share with me.
Luv Ya Girl!!!
Tu Amiga
Nina
very awesome, loved it. altho u are right most people get weirded out by them and its funny theres actually a bum that very much intriguies me and always has. i would love to take a picture of or even w him and ask him a few ?’s. to me theres no reason to really b freaked of them bc like you said they were once seen as a basically “normal” human being themselves.
U are very right!! People just dont understand homeless people! They are just human beings lost in time…your poem brings memories of my roamin days in downtown LA, beautiful!!