Begging Change From Society
The busted fire hydrant on the corner sprays water down like rain.
Water gushes down the dirty gutter, relieving this humid pain.
Sipping iced tea in their air-conditioned houses on the hill or in high-rise,
They don’t know how the streets burn little feet, or pretend not to realize.
They call us poor white trash, no charity we are shown.
I can virtually live on nothing when nothing is all I’ve known.
College I finished on top of the class. How far did it get me?
I have nowhere to hang my hat or wall to hang my degree.
The streets teach lessons of a hard knocks life.
You learn to survive despite hunger and strife.
You learn how to rob Peter in order to pay Paul,
And that stale, day old bread’s better than no bread at all.
You quickly find out just how warm the newspaper can be,
As you hold a cardboard sign, begging change from society.
Laid off from your job with no severance pay,
It doesn’t take long ‘til you’ve got nowhere to stay.
No family to help you when the chips are down,
You find yourself walking the mean streets of town.
How will you turn your whole life around?
Get a job and regular pay when you’re sleeping on the ground?
You need more than a meal and night’s stay in a shelter,
You need society to give a damn and be a real helper.
Quit ignoring the problem. Don’t look the other way.
Do something to help. That could easily be you some day.
Copyright © Susan Berg | Year Posted 2009
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