To a Homeless Man:

Homeless Man - But for the Grace of God, go I

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” ― 14th Dalai Lama, [The Art of Happiness]

To a Homeless Man:

Homeless man,
I watched as you
lined a deserted doorway
with Maytag boxes. 

Like stark cardboard monuments,
their Fed Ex labels
and signs point 'This Side Up',
sad reminders of what is,

...and what could be,
but for the Grace of God.

I wondered,
if I wished
hard enough,
a Fed Ex truck
might spirit you away
on a magic carpet ride

to a place where you
wouldn't be invisible
for those who take the time
to look and really see,

to a place where someone
would offer you a job
with no Catch 22,

first telling you to shower
and wear clean clothes

for an interview

and you with no money 

for either, 

without a job.

I wished and I prayed.
But for the Grace of God, go I.

[From the book, "Anatomy of a Poet", by CJ Heck]

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“A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write.” ~CJ Heck