Human Garbage, and other social comments

Two Men Dying

Two men sit and cry
two men wait to die
one is in prison, one is not
one is cold, the other is hot.
One will be given a lethal injection
releasing him from this life
because it's the humane way to go
even though he killed his wife.

The other lies in a hospital bed
he will not last the night
yet he must die in agony
to kill him wouldn't be right.
Two men sit and cry
two men wait to die
one a murderer given a buffer
one an innocent left to suffer.

© 2001



Under Bridges

Life was cartons
under bridges
begging coins from passers by
newsprint blankets
cardboard mattress
sleeping underneath the sky
just a youngster
not yet twenty
faithful mongrel by his side
eating sometimes
bathing rarely
How he lived, and how he died.

©  2001


Down But Not Out.

Regularly we assemble
and each observe
the downcast eyes
the drooping stance
of the dejected,
the shifty with their
hasty furtive glances,
a few hard stares
from the brazen
toughing it out.
Reluctantly we advance,
shuffling, hands in pockets
to sign away our dignity,
admit defeat,
but Hey! 
for a little longer
we will not starve,
our families will eat.


Dec 2001



Human Garbage.

I saw a woman lying there,
just lying on the ground,
as if she'd simply gone to sleep
in a comfy place she'd found
except the place was white with snow
her bed was hard and gray
and the blankets that now covered her
bore news of yesterday

And the silent stars looked down on her
to bid a fond goodnight
to this, their child, now fast asleep
so still, and cold, and white
and people were just walking past
as if she wasn't there;
perhaps they they hadn't noticed her
perhaps they didn't care.

I wondered where she came from
and what her name had been
what tales she might have told us
of the many things she'd seen.
Just one more of life's tragedies,
a silent bitter end
for someone who perhaps had been
a mother, or a friend.

Were there none to mourn her?
I wondered as I stood
and offered up a little prayer -
I thought that someone should -
for soon she would be carried off
examined and cremated
like so much that is tossed aside
her value underrated.

© January 2002



Six Million


Six million people

Ordinary people

Living out their lives

Soon to become

Living breathing skeletons

Empty eyed yet walking

People seen as things

Inconvenient things

Things to be disposed of.


So they were.


© 2002