Downtown

The dirty smells of homeless on the streets

give me a weary sense of human hope.

They kick beer cans and flick butts at their feet

with disregard, for cleanliness to cope.

The business men nearby just shake their heads

pretending not to see their fellow man.

With stomach’s full of easy gotten bread

they stand unique in brown, blue, green and tan.

But are they so unique?  These rugged peers?

Who stand and laugh and cheat their way through life?

They both enjoy the taste of a cold beer

and each group lives with ignorance and strife.

My hope is that the distance in between

the haves and have-nots can one day be seen.

 

 

 

Stephen McIlhon