The Old Beggar Woman

Her struggling gait and wrinkled face 
Reflected grief for her dead mate.
She’d lost her family at great cost 
Before she entered society’s lost.
I passed her every day on streets 
And thought she was a deadbeat. 
She did not have delusions grand 
And only craved a kindly hand.
She limped her way down city streets
With no one’s help and nil to eat.
She had no home and widely roamed 
Before she spent her nights alone.
Her shrunken frame and knotted mane 
Hid the fact that she was lame.
She struggled for her every breath
And every day she cheated death. 
Ghosts like her die alone
And no one hears their final moan. 
They fade away like apparitions, 
Victims of Man’s blindered vision.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

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Greenhough Avatar
October 17, 2024 at 9:15 PM
This would be a scary thought. The real truth is old sick people can go to nursing homes. A lot don't want to. Some are alcoholic and don't have discipline. Still it's difficult to not worry about them. Thanks for bringing light.
Getz Avatar
November 28, 2024 at 1:32 PM
This poem was based upon a true story. While I was staying in Reno, Nevada, I read a newspaper story about middle-aged woman who froze to death in a city in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Sad!
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