To Leeds Big Issue Sellers

Read 'To Leeds Big Issue Sellers' by 'Barry Tebb' and provide your summary and literary analysis in the comments section below.

To Leeds Big Issue Sellers by Barry Tebb

 When I come from the Smoke to visit my son on the ward

I see you everywhere: by the station, by the neon sign of ‘Squares’

By every shopping mall. Leeds seems to have more of you than anywhere:

How do you stand there for so many hours in freezing winds

When most you solicit hurry by, saying to themselves, as do I,

‘Charity begins at home’ when you so often have no home?

I tend to give my change to the desperate, silent huddled in blankets

When all the warnings say I shouldn’t but who’s to judge

The deserving from the addicted?

Who but God can justly judge

My feeling is we all must learn to give.

Form: Free verse Comments

Comments About This Poem

Share your interpretation, favorite passage, or thoughts about this famous poem. Please provide an in-depth and meaningful comment.

  • What do you think the poet was trying to say?
  • Which line had the biggest impact on you?
  • How does this poem relate to modern life?
  • What literary devices did you notice?
No comments have been posted yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace