Once I had friends-but they have all forsook me!
Once I had parents-they are now in heaven!
I had a home once-I had once a husband-
Pity me, strangers! (p. 72)
The widow feels she has been forsaken by her friends. Could it be that she chose a lifestyle that conflicted with the morals and values of those around her? I’ve heard of educated homeless people, who come from good families, but somehow ended up like the widow, asking for pity. And when we hear their cries, or see their outstretched hands asking for change, do we pretend we didn’t hear or see as in the poem “loud blew the wind, unheard was her complaining; on drove the chariot”. (p. 72)
We often think of people becoming homeless because of drug addiction or because they were just too lazy to keep a job. Could it be that life dealt her some harsh blows that she just couldn’t bounce back from? What if her husband’s death contributed to her lack of desire to live a full and prosperous life? I’ve certainly heard of both men and women, who because of the loss or separation of a loved one, gave up on their will to live. They stopped being productive on their jobs, which lead to dismissal. They lost their desire to socialize with others and eventually found themselves alone and unable to sustain an independent life.
The next time I happen upon a beggar, I’ll hesitate to assume the road he’s traveled, but instead, hope that his cries of pity, won’t continually fall on deaf ears.
3 comments:
Sherri,
Good poem for your focus in this posting. Be sure to provide the author's name, though (Robert Southey). I like the way you tend to connect the events and characters in the poems to people and situations in our own society, but make sure you do analyze the poem; devote more attention to it before making the leap into applying its message today, so that it is clear where you are getting that message in the poem.
Your blog definitely seems off to a good start!
Sherri, I found this post to be very thought provoking! I must shamefullllllly admit that I had preconceived notions of what a "homeless" person was or was not. Those notions were dashed to pieces as I began working with this outreach program that helped people without homes. I hope I am not ever able to forget this one gentleman. He was an entrepreneur from Dallas. He owned his own software company and had made millions of dollars in his life-time. But...a faithless day came and rained on his parade of a life! It was sudden and swift. He lost everything, including his wife and children. My misconceptions left me standing there face-to-face with what a "homeless" individual looked like and surprisingly...it looked a lot like me! Glad you made this poem so approachable and relevant! Kudos!
Kyle McNease
Sherri, I also really liked this poem and I think you have a lot of good insights into the nature of homelessness. And you are right, many homeless are not random vagrants who could not hold jobs and they aren't on the streets because of drugs are alcohol. Many homeless in fact suffer from debilitating mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, that prevent them from functioning in society. I especially liked your conclusion to your post and I hope to be able to work with the homeless this next year by volunteering around the city of Macon.
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