Ode to the Homeless Man, by Shawna Holman

Out of my lonliness
and curiosity, sure
I met a man
whose charm was pure

what?
I wondered
and listened
and shared
my sympathies
for a love not spared

the tale was fantastic
romantic 
and true
but the more I listened
the more I felt blue

His aspiring dreams
and effortless hopes
were aimed at a target
that drifted remote

but who am I
to judge another
who is my senior in life?

who am I
to claim another's 
worries and strife?

I can only listen
wonder
and learn
and hope...
for such is life.

© August, 1995

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