Homeless by Mark Spencer

Jared’s father was abusive,
And beat him every day.
The boy escaped his world with drugs,
In time, he lost his way.

By thirty, he was on the streets,
And no one seemed to care.
Passers by would look right through him,
As though he wasn’t there.

They asked police to run him off,
With the rest of his kind;
Believing in the old proverb:
“Out of sight, out of mind.”

And as he roamed from place to place,
Rejection lay in wait.
Save for some good Samaritans,
Who tried to change his fate.

But they had not enough support,
To do what must be done,
To lead this lamb into the light
Emitted by the Son.

And so, one cold, dark winter’s night,
Jared breathed his last breath.
The steps of a police station
Is where he froze to death.

This problem will not go away,
It cannot be ignored.
It won’t be swept under the rug,
Or hidden from the Lord.

As you have done unto others,
Along this road you’ve trod,
Even the least of your brethren,
You have done it to God.

For none are better than the next,
In their Creator’s eyes.
And any who might disagree,
Are just clinging to lies.

So when you next avert your gaze,
Away from wayward souls,
Remember how it might have felt,
If God reversed your roles.

For those who were the first on earth,
Will be last evermore.
And all shall reap what they have sown,
When they reach heaven’s door.

Ignore these words, if you so choose,
The Lord gave you that right.
But don’t pretend there is no cause,
If you must face this plight.

The homeless live upon our streets,
While most ignore their plea.
And those who have the means to help,
Pretend they do not see.

Meridian (151.199.155.198) -- Friday, November 2 2007, 08:29 pm

Always got the rhymes
You are right on target with this one! You are published correct? You should be, talented as you are!

Beautiful!

Bipedalguy (75.67.182.104) -- Friday, November 2 2007, 10:16 pm

Right on
You reached me with this one. It's an important message, expressed in a powerful way.
(very beautiful poetry)

shiloh (66.24.112.118) -- Wednesday, November 7 2007, 05:34 am

homelessness
sadly, the homeless are as much a part of this, the richest country, as are the sidewalks upon which they sleep. our priorities are wrong - space stations and billions for war should be secondary to taking care of our own, but no one in washington seems to see it that way - just take a look at the hot air grates on the d.c. sidewalks there, where the homeless live in winter.

Russ (205.188.116.201) -- Wednesday, December 26 2007, 07:59 am

America likes to pretend it doesn't have problem
America likes to pretend it doesn't have problems. We send money to homeless families, homeless children in other countries, but we rarely take care of our own. How can a person send $30.00 a month to the Christian Children's Fund, while closing their eyes to the starving Americans on our own streets? Great poem!

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