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These days, on Sunday mornings around eight AM, and before most people are stirring, I take a short drive to the grocery store to do my big weekly grocery shop. Even at that hour, in the cold of winter or the heat summer, in pouring rain and blustering wind, at every street light that I stop at, stands a homeless person holding a cardboard sign asking for help because they don’t have a job and are homeless.
I suppose it’s because I’m a woman, that I’m mostly drawn to the growing number of women on those corners. There’s the one who wears old camouflage clothing, was on crutches for a while, then had a leg brace. A few weeks ago, for the first time there was one who looked to be in her forties and had a hard, mean look about her. She glared at me and held up a sign that said she needed to buy gas for her car so she could get to her job. I haven’t seen her since. Last fall there was a very young women with only one leg, who looked like she might be a wounded warrior from the looks of the shiny prosthetic she was wearing. Too often, our young veterans return from war wounded, are fixed up with these devices, and because of other problems like PTSD and/or drug addiction, find themselves without work or a place to live.
We can make up a gazillion stories about these women, but in truth we don’t know their stories unless we stop and talk to them. So why do some with jobs and warm, cozy homes think of them as useless when they quickly walk or drive by without even a glance?
When I wrote this poem in 2006, I was concerned by the growing number of homeless people I was noticing. I was called to try to put myself in the shoes of an aging woman who many called crazy, but was not, was down on her luck, and had led a difficult life.
my name is sally
i’m sixty-three
found two dollars
in change not enough
for coffee a sandwich
tomato lettuce
tuna on rye
i’ll wait
a few crusts here
and there collect
coins in my cup
watch for the cop
no loitering
sleeping
in doorways
on grates
it’s winter
i’m tired
almost out
of aspirin my knees
the pain so sharp
it’s hard to move
fast when i see
big john
he scares me
yells and shouts
tries to grab
my hair
when he’s
drunk
i lost my comb
the other day
when i fell
into the street
cars kept coming
no one stopped
it’s cold
need
a place
in sun
no wind
tonight
it could
snow
JZR
9/13/06
First, I can not imagine being a homeless person here today in Worcester, not ignoring all the other days either. Second, when Frank and I went to Washington DC for New Years I have never seen so many homeless people as I did there, our nation’s capitol, where policy to care for these people should be a focus. One morning there was a line of empty sleeing bags, except for one person, lined on a grate. He was obviously the one holding the spot for the rest. We also now carry $1 bills in our cars and anytime we have the opportunity, we give one to the person on the side of the road. Some people balk at this and say they will just buy alcohol or cigarettes. Seeing how no one tells me how I have to spend my money, why should we be telling them. My heart bleeds for these people.
Brenda,
Yes, the nations’s capitol seems to beoine of the worst homeless areas. Charlottesville and Albemarle County being one of wealthiest places in Virginia, has a large number of homeless but fortunately there are many facilities to help them here, including a day shelter where they have access to hot showers and laundry facilities. Still, for whatever reason, they need other things as well, like a job.
I admire your giving those dollar bills. There are certain things that people need, like tampons for women, that you need money for. Some will spend the money on drugs, booze or cigarettes but I’d rather see these people begging on the side of the road, than hiding behind a bush and assaulting people for the money they may be carrying.
Looks like you got a pretty good snowfall yesterday. Hope it’s not too disruptive.
I love this post Joan.
We don’t know their stories … but we can show empathy for an other human being who is having a hard time.
Thanks, Val. Empathy and compassion are what it takes to understand the suffering in the world and teaches us be grateful for what we have.
Joan – The number of homeless people who live under the viaduct by the post office in Boise is vast, as are the potential reasons they’re homeless: loss of job, foreclosure, veteran, mental illness, disowned by family, addictions, domestic violence — the list goes on.
I agree with Val that we can show compassion. It’s rare that we give money, but we do buy meals, and for those with dogs, cans of dog food with pull-top lids.
Laurie,
Whatever we can do to help these people is very important. Some people I know give little packets of things like toothbrushes and toothpaste, a bar of soap, and a comb. A friend of mine gathers new or gently used hats, gloves, and scarves and hands them out around Christmas time, as the cold begins to settle over the area. And yes for those with dogs, canned food is a wonderful gift. Thanks for your caring.
Joan — I really like the idea of putting together little “personal hygiene” type care packages and handing them out. Thank you so much for planting the seed!
Compassion without judgment is my policy. As Laurie says, the reasons for homelessness are vast, including mental illness. When I see a homeless person, I give lunch packages, never money. Last week, I saw a women on a wheel-chair with with a cardboard statement “Homeless but not hopeless.” She gratefully took my offering. Later I saw the same woman on her feet, walking in the grocery store with a friend. I am sorry she is deceitful, but I am still going to buy pre-packaged food for the homeless. (I’ll have to think twice about giving her one though.)
All my life, I have seen my grandmother, mother, and others helping the needy. I wrote about it in this blog post: http://plainandfancygirl.com/2013/06/26/stinky-joe/
Marian,
There are those who will use the system in a bad way, like the woman you mention. But that doesn’t make them all bad. When I occasionally feel that whatever I do won’t do any good, I try to imagine standing in the cold, like so many of these helpless, homeless people do for hours. I have always believed it is important not to judge until you’ve walked a mile in another person’s shoes.
We have an ongoing informal mission among members of our church, who take it upon themselves to drive through the streets of Detroit and offer care packages to homeless people, including food, toiletry items, socks, hats, gloves. I think this is a great way to show empathy for these folks – in truth, we don’t know their stories but at the very least they are deserving of compassion.
Becca, That sounds like a great mission and am happy to hear about it. Yes, these people without much to their names, do indeed deserve compassion.
What a powerful reminder about those far less fortunate than ourselves, Joan. Homelessness is more prevalent than we can even imagine. This Christmas , my family adopted a homeless family via Catholic Charities and gave them a Christmas-food, clothing , presents, etc We all agreed to keep doing this. Your poem says it all. Thank you!
Thanks, Kathy. I love that you adopted an entire family and made Christmas warm and meaningful for them. And doing it every year is a wonderful thing to do!