Homeless

The restaurant employee dumped the fresh
Garbage into the dumpster. Waste, the kind
That has unmolded breads, dripping gravies
Mixed with uneaten portions of vegetables.
Heaven on earth was being at the right place
At the right time for Joe. The bright paint that
Once covered the dumpster welcomed Joe amid
The perfume stench surrounding his dinner.

I was proud once. The body shop burned from
The oil and grease. Harriet would have helped
Me through it had she survived. Has it been
Three months already?

Don't look in their eyes! The sign say's it all.
Something about being poor and hungry.
"Will work for food." in black letters
Becomes standard procedure.

Coins from a car blend with the leaves and
Dirt. I feel like a prospector.
 
 

                                             10/93