Rough Sleeper
The city numbs our sense of right and wrong.
Hurrying past, there is a temptation
To disregard his presence in our midst.
And, let’s face it, shocked at the exposure,
Most of us, averting eyes, do just that.
What would we see there, if we stopped to look
Beyond the torn sleeping bag, with a head
Propped up on folded rugs, squeezed yet still damp?
Would we see a life, a past, relations,
Ties which imperceptibly unravelled?
Would we see him then, dancing at the fair,
A younger man, cadging one extra sweet?
Or now, at cul-de-sac? His cry for help
Unheard in the noisy urban silence.
Stephen Gospage
Tue 22nd Nov 2022 08:11
Thank you, John. Yes, the sheer number of people sleeping on cold streets is shocking and more must be done.
Graham - You raise an important point. I respect your experience and the work that you do and I am not naive enough to think that all the people on the streets are wonderful human beings. There is no doubt that a certain number, though surely not the vast majority, of rough sleepers (helped by such support from you and other fine people like Rose's Gran and Granddad) feel unable or unwilling to be 'reintegrated' into society. However, many such people could have severe physcological and other problems which may make 'normal' society seem a very forbidding place. I believe that, deep down, very few people would prefer this life, which is degradingly awful and often violent, to living in a flat or a house. It seems to me that we need to give everyone the opportunity to start again. But thanks for raising this point, Graham. It shows that the issue is complicated and that there are no simple answers.
Thanks for your reaction, Rose. Your grandparents do marvellous work.
And thanks to John C for the like.