Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Angels on the Sidewalks



Blessed are the poor — the angels among us.
Blessed they sleep on  cardboard
Blessed is the smell of their urine
They have no place to go

Blessed are the children
Raised among poverty
Homelessness
Drug addiction
Alcoholism.

Blessed are the passed out
With syringe in arm or fallen bottle beside
They flee the pain for all of us
Soaking up our pain
And numbing it

Blessed are my sisters
Blessed are my brothers
Blessed are they when the cops roust them
Moving them along so the better off don't see.
Blest are they.

Blessed is the community
The watching out for one another
Blessed is the shamed theft of another
Victim's scanty wealth
Blessed are they both

You are walking by them
You are walking by them
You are walking by them
And they are angels on the sidewalk
Sacrifices to the rush to wealth.

They are your brothers
They are your sisters
They are your cousins and aunts and uncles
They are your family
They are angels among us

Blessed be.
Blessed be.
Blessed be.
Blessed be.