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A Cup of Iced Coffee

This is a tale of the haves and the nots Which I witnessed in front of my face, A question of simply connecting the dots, For it happens all over the place. A woman was rummaging deep in the trash - She was homeless, or so it would seem – And extracted, to drink or to add to her stash, An iced coffee, half-filled, made with cream. Did she drink it? Not sure, but it made me aware Of discrepancies glaring and wrong For whoever did toss it did really not care Since it cost him not more than a song. But to her, what it meant (though of course I can’t know) Was a drink she could never afford For the way of the world means the nots (this is so) Are just naturally shunned and ignored.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2020




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Date: 7/3/2020 6:08:00 PM
Thanks for this compassionate write, ilene. It's a good reminder to let no one be invisible.
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Date: 7/3/2020 6:34:00 AM
It is amazing, but some people are cellophane; others see them not at all.
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Date: 7/1/2020 12:25:00 PM
Hello Ilene , yes the homeles are shun. This is true. I feel for the homeless woman. Haved a nice day my friend.
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Date: 6/30/2020 8:40:00 PM
This is sad and typical even where I love, Ilene. Some people (mostly elderly) are natural rubbish pickers. There's a large blue dumpster in our parking lot and a few women with flash lights survey the inside of the dumpster looking for things either for themselves or to sell elsewhere. Hope this never happens to me. / M
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Date: 6/29/2020 7:27:00 PM
At least this scavenger hasn't given up; she's still "scraping by." ~ Gershon
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Date: 6/29/2020 2:54:00 PM
nice write....one way to save your cold coffee (no cream) is to top it off with coca cola....mmmm, carbonated dark roast three sugar and an espresso shot...… stan sand
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Date: 6/29/2020 2:07:00 PM
When I lived in Paris, I daily observed an elderly woman begging in a doorway wearing newspapers for shoes. When she finally died, they found money stashed everywhere in her room, i.e., a quite well-off "professional" woman. So what you see with your own eyes may not necessarily be true! Aloha! Rico
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Date: 6/29/2020 2:02:00 PM
this is so sad to observe on so many levels Ilene:-( hugs jan xx
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Date: 6/29/2020 1:56:00 PM
We have to count our blessings when you see things like that Ilene. Tom
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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry