Poverty | Teen Ink

Poverty MAG

By Anonymous

   



I saw an old man

hobbling along the desolate alley

- a place he called home -

his clothes

were ragged and torn

and what shone through was

skin as blue as the sea

the clothes that were still on him

were coming off

like a snake shedding its skin

his face was a gruesome sight,

it was like a wrinkled prune

telling of his past and future

with the many lines of life

I felt my face

it was smooth and young,

not wrinkled

how could I just stand there

watching

without bursting into tears

and the tears be pity for

this horrible sight of poverty I was witnessing

but through one of those lines of life

there was a gash as deep

as the Grand Canyon

this gash held many secrets of this

man's life

but who could call this life -

searching through filthy barrels

for any scraps to fulfill his needs,

sleeping on the frozen ground

with tiny shreds of newspaper

to keep him warm

Who could call this life?





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This article has 4 comments.


superwoman said...
on Feb. 27 2014 at 2:43 pm
I was really inspired by your poem, may i use a couple of phrases from it for my school competition please, thanks

on May. 12 2009 at 8:02 pm
Electricity PLATINUM, Bradenton, Florida
30 articles 0 photos 271 comments
I love this poem! Keep up the good job! ^.^

mindymax GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2009 at 10:30 pm
mindymax GOLD, Armona, California
10 articles 0 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The whole world looked drunk, and I liked it that way." - Rebeca Godfrey, book title"The Torn skirt"

it's very interesting, writing about those who are wise in age, but hold secrets only for them to know.who's to say thats not a life?

madkay said...
on Nov. 21 2008 at 1:21 pm
this is super cooool, i based my artowrk for my artclass off of this poem