Sometimes, when sweeping under the bed or
behind the dresser,
you will come across an old poem
One that has been forgotten about
Or, going through the clothes closet,
trying on jackets not worn since last winter,
a folded paper in a pocket
reveals a collection of lines
A few half shaped rhymes
And a message you once knew
had to be known
And what is to be done with such unmissed missives?
These pieces of poesy past
on a warm April afternoon
Heck if I know
It's time for a late lunch and I really can't think
when
hungry
The Wanderers
The Wanderers wear many faces,
They may come from nothing and other dark places;
With surviving skills amazing to see;
While we, untested, cry over burned fricasee.
There was old Annie in the food pantry
Which had a clothes closet, too, for the poor;
She came every 3 months, didn't pick for sizes,
Sold what she got for whatever, a dime or more.
There was Jenny who lost her job, was evicted,
Broke her glasses all in a week's succession;
For pride or poverty she hit the streets,
Fell in with a man for "love's" protection.
That pantry had a box full of glasses,
She screamed when she found a fair fit;
"I can see! I can work! she jumped and cried;
On her way to a new start for the hope of it.
One more was the lady up the street;
Whose home was a "for sale" car;
Left to wander in the daytime;
Where is she now - most likely afar.
But for the grace of God, go I,
For I've made judgments that were poor at best;
God bless those wandering who are freezing tonight;
For they share our Savior's plight,
a stone to rest his head.
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.