Random Faces of Homelessness
Marnie lived at Lincoln Park Community Shelter in 2008-2009.
She's now living on her own, retired and working as a volunteer. She's also a member of the Shelter's Graduate Council.
The council, staff and former residents are writing a book that celebrates the Shelters 30th year in existence. It will feature a series of essays, drawings and photographs. I'm on the committee that is putting the book together.
This is a poem Marnie wrote years ago and she's my first guest blogger in this series.
Random face with arbitrary names, Swollen eyes and brine soaked brows. Coffee breath biting at you with bitterness distracted only by the aching of your feet. With a humbled voice beneath an anguished grin. Many are given names like alcoholic, depressive, difficult, disabled, bum, Or share synonyms like post traumatic, psychotic, psycho, bi-polar, or addiction. They will reside in places like shelters, rehabs, youth homes, nursing homes or all too common...the street. They come together to form unspoken families where networking shapes by lights of streetlamps. These are the faves of the homeless. These are the figures perished to the wayside somewhere cheap. Just to have it taken back with nowhere to go. Budget cut, believeing no one will notice, no one will care. Resumes, haircuts and a sudden place to crash: a place to forget what led you here. Time to work the pavement again. Got to reclaim your livelihood: learning to live on the basics again; roof, bed, food. Quality of life has come down to a bus pass. The chaos and confusion and the feeling of deja vu Living a lie and a chain of degradation. Helpless and hapless by the continuing progression of new poor. Intermingling with the streetlight existence. These are the faces of today's homeless. Go to any church, temple, mosque, and you will see. Skin of black, white, brown or yellow. Male or female. Adult or child. Straight or homosexual. Ambulatory or immobile. Democrat, Republican or Independent voter. Who in the crowd could anyone be? Time for another cup of coffee and to ponder.
This is another is the year long series Faces Of Homelessness. Check out Tuesday's piece while you're here.
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