Bag Lady

I wrote this poem when I noticed a surge in the homeless community.  Today, especially in Los Angeles,the problem is worse than ever before.  It is sad to see people of all ages, including entire families, living under the freeway overpass.  Some of these people have a job, but can't afford to find affordable housing.  That should not be in America.

As a young black girl, having grown up in South Central, Los Angeles I have fond memories of neighborhood and community.  Over the years I have witnessed the neighborhood change.  Slowly, we are being pushed out by skyrocketing prices in homes and rentals.  We all deserve a place to call home.  My question is this, Where is our safe place in a nation that sees us as the enemy? 

We have got to fix the problem; because, none of us are safe from the plight of homelessness.  I know that but for the Grace of God, there go I.


    Bag Lady

Bag lady, bag lady every day I see you as I drive by

You always catch my eye

I know the load you carry is too heavy for you to carry alone

You’re only skin and bones

Yet, there you are walking the street

With worn out shoes on your feet

I’ve seen you brave the cold and the scorching heat,

But you never seem to concede to defeat

I’ve seen the angry rain plummeting your small frame

Again and again

I’ve seen the wind send you in an aimless twirl

It seems as if it’s you against the world

Bag lady, 

Bag lady,

Struggling on your own

It won’t be long before you are gone,

Because it must be hard waging that battle alone

I wonder how much longer will you keep holding on?

I ponder your history

Do you have family?

What is your name

And who is the blame

For you being where you are?

How did you end up having no home and no car?

I wonder if you only own the clothes you wear

And the bags you push around everywhere?

You peak my curiosity

I can’t help but admire your tenacity

And your capacity

To keep holding on

When everything is gone

Bag lady, bag lady

I worry for your safety

Out on the streets

And about whether you have enough food to eat.

I pray

I pray

Because even if you won’t concede to defeat

It’s got to be hard waging a battle against the streets.

I know there will come a day when I’ll look for you and you’ll be gone,

Because the load you’re carrying is too heavy for you to carry alone

One day soon things will unravel,

And there will finally be an end to your travel

You will be replaced

By another homeless face

That will catch my eye

As I drive by

Leaving me to ponder

And wonder

Once again
Until another story
comes to an end.

copyright 2010, Matters of the Heart

I dedicate this song to the homeless.

Women of the World...Be Encouraged

This month is Women's History month, so I celebrate and honor all of our women, from the greatest to the least, past and present.  For all that you have done, are doing and will do in the future, I say thank you.  One day soon, we will be totally appreciated and respected completely and not just for the way we look, but for who we are.

I See the Rest

Women of the world,

I see you there

Your hair,

Your dress,

Impeccable,

Yes.

I see you,

But I look beyond

Your hair,

Your dress

And see the rest.

Without a doubt,

You are beautiful inside and out,

But you want the world to see you,

In your entirety.

To look beyond your polished nails

and high heel shoes;

Not to be perceived as tough as nails,

But as someone who can compete

No matter what shoes she has on her feet.

Someone who is taken seriously by all

No matter how big or how small.

Someone who can stand firmly in position

Without being unfairly degraded by the competition.

The "phenomenal woman," that Maya described.

What a glorious tribe!

The tribe called Woman,

I see you in all your glory.

I see your beauty.

Your hair,

Your dress,

Impeccable,

Yes.

I see you,

But I look beyond

Your hair,

Your dress

And see the rest.

Would the world could see the rest. 

Copyright 2017, Patricia Newman-Harris

To the women of the world, who are not always taken seriously and are not viewed for the totality of who they are.