Homelessness Poetry Page
Updated January 22/2006
On this page, I will post poetry about homelessness and the issues arising from being homeless in our supposedly enlightened society.
The Faces Of The Homeless
A gnarled old man, leaning on his cane,
In the park he lives and will remain.
His cart filled with odds and ends galore,
They won't even let him in the door
To wash all his clothes and have a meal
Because they're afraid that he will steal;
They will send him back to jail to live.
Why can't the people learn to forgive?
A young woman, carrying a child,
Screaming in anger and acting wild;
The home threw her out for using crack.
ODSP is giving her flak
And telling her they'll call Children's Aid.
By society, she's being flayed
For being addicted to a drug.
We stick noses in the air and shrug.
A young couple, looking for a home;
Out on the streets, they are forced to roam.
Two tiny infants in a stroller;
Hear the sound of an asphalt roller
As it levels the road at their side.
The babies scream, their eyes opened wide,
As the noise assaults them, all around:
It appears to be a wall of sound.
Lonely woman, sitting on a bench;
Her life has dealt her a nasty wrench:
She lost her husband just yesterday;
There are no words left for her to say.
She sits in silent contemplation
Of her sudden sad situation,
That casts on her a shadow of fear:
How will she survive, now he's not here?
A lovely woman, quite elegant,
Sits on the steps of a tenement
Hollowed out by a fire just turned cold;
Suddenly, she feels quite grey and old.
She used to live in that burned-out shell;
Inside and outside, she knew it well.
With many others, she seeks the light;
She knows not where she will sleep tonight.
A sweet, kind man, gentle as a lamb,
Knows the housing system is a sham:
He's been on a list for fifteen years,
Now he sheds those soft and silent tears
For a home that he has never known,
For knowing that he is not alone
In his search for somewhere to abide
Across this country so great and wide.
Tiffani Pontchartrain
© July 23 & 26, 2005
What Does It Mean To Be Homeless?
What does it mean to be homeless?
I have no place to call my home.
What does it mean to be homeless?
Upon these streets, always I'll roam.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I sleep on a lonely street grate.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I'm bound by cruel twists of fate.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I wander 'round, from place to place.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I am lost, another disgrace.
What does it mean to be homeless?
There are few people I call friend.
What does it mean to be homeless?
When will my lonely journey end?
What does it mean to be homeless?
I must depend on gifts from you.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I sit here, 'neath skies gray or blue.
What does it mean to be homeless?
I know not what is peace or love.
What does it mean to be homeless?
Soon I'll join the angels above.
Tiffani Pontchartrain
© August 11, 2005
Why Am I Homeless?
Why am I homeless, you ask,
As I sit here with my flask
On a corner dark and drear,
Near the end of this long year.
I once had a home so fine,
Filled with caviar and wine;
I drove a Mercedes Benz
And showed it off to my friends.
I was truly overtaxed,
My credit cards all were maxed;
I thought that I had it all,
Yet pride comes before the fall.
I stood in my tower high,
Looking out at clear blue sky
When a great cloud came in sight
And turned the day into night.
Then, one day, my debts came due;
Whatever was I to do?
I ran first that way, then this:
Was there something I had missed?
They took my house and my car;
I fell so fast and so far!
As I walked the streets that night,
I thought, "This is just not right!"
I talked to my MPP
And asked, "Can you please help me?"
He said, "Nothing I can do
For people who have been screwed!"
I stumbled out on the street
And wandered on trembling feet,
Looking for a place to stay
At the end of that long day.
I soon lost my job and wife,
And then tried to take my life:
They locked me up in a ward
Where there was fear and discord.
I spent many days and nights
Watching such distressing sights
That I lost all thought of hope
And could not be strong or cope.
I was released one fall day
When storms 'cross the sky did play;
A lawyer found me perforce:
"Your wife's obtained a divorce!"
I knew that I was alone,
No job, no wife and no home;
I wandered from place to place,
Just another homeless face.
To the shelters I did go
And joined the unending flow
Of men going in and out,
Their lives filled with fear and doubt.
Month after month passed me by
As I prayed to God on high:
"Deliver me from this strife;
Lord, help me rebuild my life!"
The shelters aided me not;
I was still in the same spot
Where I had been months before
After walking through their doors.
I left the shelters one day,
There I no longer could stay;
On the streets I did arrive,
Ever fighting to survive.
"What must I do to be housed?
Will the masses be aroused,
Fight for all we've been denied?
Will they stand here by my side?
"Will they stand up in a line?
Hold up a protester's sign?
Fight to house all those in need,
Till all have their place in deed?"
We must struggle on once more,
Try to find an open door:
"Enter here and find your way
To your own home, come what may."
Grant to me this simple boon:
I hope my time will come soon.
Why am I homeless, you ask,
As I sit here with my flask.
Tiffani Pontchartrain
© October 9 & 21, 2005
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