You see me...

The tattered remains of a goodwill donation spread across my shoulders,
A stained cup at my feet, a few coins to barely cover the bottom,
And a trash bag ... my whole world bundled inside
For when I am forced to move...again.

You see me...

As an obstacle to pass with haste,
Lest your wallet be a few bills lighter for an attack of conscience.
The cardboard sign at my side our only communication.
I write God bless you, in the hope that
That small reminder will find its way into your heart.

You see me...

As an unfortunate part of the scenery
A blight if you will, on all that is good, clean, and beautiful.

But what you don't see...

Are the circumstances that have made me into this obstacle, this... blight.
We all have our stories, some different... some eerily similar,
They have all brought us to this same place.

You don't see me...

The person that I am or the curve balls life has thrown my way,
The pitfalls that have been placed along my path.
My hopes, wishes and dreams are the same as yours...
To fill an empty stomach, to have a safe place to lay my head at night,
Contact with friends and family to let me know that I am not alone.

You don't see me...

And that, how I live does not make me any less of a human being than you.
For some it's a choice and others, most definitely not so.
If I were to lie down on my concrete bed tonight and not get up again..
I would still be a human being; I would still have been a life.

I am a life.

-- Lisa Gelazin