Part 1
T’was a cold and windy night in winter,
All dishes had been washed from my dinner,
And I was about to turn out the light
To retire to my sordid dreaming time
When there came a soft knocking in the night.

For the delay my dreams I did not mind,
Because they had no rest for me to find,
So I went to see who was at my door,
Coming in the cold dark of the winter,
To find one whom I had known from before.

The wind swirled round them as they did enter,
An old neighbor and a young child with her,
I queried on why she traveled this eve,
So late to be coming to my back door,
Eviction she said had forced her to leave

They had stayed somewhere else the week before,
But t’was too rough she could stay there no more,
They sold her things and was with drugs gone wild,
With no where else to the streets she did flee,
Leaving all things except for her girl child.

A day of walking and she came to me,
Hoping only for a warm place to be,
Remembered this as a place of a friend
Of time long gone and another place too,
Begged for refuge only one night to spend.

I fed her and the child with tonight’s stew,
Taking them in seemed the thing I should do,
For humanity and friendship of old,
How could I in a Winter’s night send her,
To face reality hungry and cold.

Part 2 Strangers in My Home

There’s strangers in my house I told myself,
Taking the spare bed’s sheets from off the shelf,
Searching the closet for extra pillows,
And a blanket to fend off the night’s chill,
Found by touch in the closet of shadows.

Long since I’ve had another bed to fill,
Become accustomed to empty and still,
But for a single night could tolerate
Sharing my darkness where I hide away,
I went to bed since the hour was late.

I woke before the breaking of the day,
I usually do it being my way,
Through familiar dark halls casually strode,
Navigating the morning without light
I know each inch of my humble abode.

Getting myself dressed does not need sight,
All my things are where I left them last night,
Then I heard a light sound of soft weeping,
Barely audible from across the hall,
From where my guest should have been sleeping.

Unsure I should do anything at all,
Gave out a soft and questioning call,
I did not know what I should do or say,
Pausing in wait the room turned to quiet,
And so I thought I should be on my way.

Opening the door she stepped outside it
Her tears streamed down and she couldn’t hide it,
I told her she could just rest here and stay
Asking if she’d be alright by herself,
Telling her we’d talk after work today.

Part 3 Home To Visiting Strangers

T’was a cold gray twilight in the winter,
Thoughts drifting to what to make for dinner,
Something warm for the soul throughout the night,
Spicy and hot followed by something sweet,
Then thoughts disrupted when I saw my light.

Shades raised I could see inside from the street
Thoughts of burglars did replaced things to eat,
Then I remembered about my house guest,
To whom I’d left there a long day ago,
My mood wasn’t glad but I’d try my best.

Some things were in places they did not go,
She was being helpful and did not know,
Perhaps it was just boredom and loneliness,
And the changed things were easy to repair,
Perhaps she didn’t understand I like darkness.

Visibly changed with clean clothes and combed hair,
Barely looked like the same two I’d left there,
She smiled at me as her little girl did play,
And it seems she had made a nice dinner,
I guess I will let her stay another day.

Part 4 Lost Voids in My Home

It should be much colder this time of year
There is snow in the mountains but not here,
Nothing but a cold drizzle mixed with sleet,
But it is fine for moods of misery,
As I stroll down the empty darkened street.

There are other places that I might be,
But they have invaded my privacy,
The silence is disputed with their talking
And thanking me for allowing to stay,
So for solitude I went out walking.

I am of a mind to send them away
Even knowing they’ve no where to stay,
They are the ones that came and now intrude
Using pity and past friendship on me,
The strain plays poorly on my attitude.

In the sleet is no where I need to be,
So I stop in a bar for some brandy,
But it’s the wrong place and it’s the wrong time,
But at least its warm and a place to dry,
My choices are only beer and cheep wine.

A place for thinking and let time go by,
I settle in and give the Red a try,
I took them in for only the one night
Since they had no relatives living near,
Taking them in and relieving their plight.

Part 5 Why Is Change Good?

Sometimes I will reach my destination
By traveling public transportation,
But the bus and train is best to nowhere,
When wandering the city in the night,
To sit by the window and to just stare.

Then there’s times when I see a certain sight,
Whether it’s something wrong or something right,
Won’t matter what’s the time or if it’s late,
Leaving when I saw a familiar man,
Why he was there I would investigate.

He saw me and offered a greeting hand
Welcomed me with soft voice of sifting sand,
We’d both once been known by different names,
The Church had taken in his kindly ways,
So Saintly so he became Brother James.

When he was Tim it was in gentler days,
And where we once went now no child there plays,
For there now needles and fields of broken glass lie.
No longer were these places children go
There where you could be shot for walking by.

He still had a smile that let white teeth show,
Where once was black hair now is mostly snow,
His rough old voice still had a pleasant sound
And his eyes still shone with an inner light,
In his presence there was a comfort found.

I was telling about my winter’s night,
He told me accepting them had been right,
And then he asked me what was in my heart,
They were invaders to my privacy,
And I really wished that they would depart.

Expecting rebuke instead he smiled at me,
And place his hand on my shoulder gently
He said for those thoughts I was no sinner
And he understood my mixed emotion,
Then he invited himself to dinner.