Urban Street Orphans

Bus stops for some,
rest stops for the weary,
hitching posts for grocery carts,
always at the ready,
this homeless luxury for many.

Benches support the waiting.
while sun and wind present
airborne reflections,
kaleidoscopic yesterdays broken,
desperately trying to remain connected.

Golden candy wrappers
dance dervish imaginings
alongside shards of clear plastic,
making floating stained-glass windows
on castles of air.

How lonely it must feel
these shattered fragments once whole
wondering aimlessly from street to street
imploring only hope.

But like innocence before the reaper,
the scythe of Time
remains sharp,
forever moving,
while roots bereft of innocence
endlessly seek refuge and deliverance.

We must never forget…

Homelessness takes many forms,
forever about us,
biting patience-in-waiting,
as sidewalks of complacency
occasionally become eyes that see.