Image via http://www.sxc.hu
The bird
doesn’t mind
the indifference
of passing feet,
tossed flint-eyed scraps,
nest of a broadsheet
The bird
doesn’t mind
cold-hearted weather,
garbage-can dining,
piss-soaked shelter,
one-eyed sleep in the underpass,
the ubiquitous predator
The bird
doesn’t mind
existence
on the streets
He’s just a bird
beeblu blog 
Lovely!
You see the positives, Julie 🙂
Quite a strong poem IMHO…happy new years!
That there are so many homeless in 1st-world countries is inexcusable.
Happy New Year to you, too, Charles 🙂
Terrrific poem – effective technique to highlight the horrors of life on the streets – I particularly like ‘flint eyed scraps’ and ‘nest of a broadsheet’.
Thanks, Gabe – I think that for many it’s a very fine line between finding oneself on the streets or not
Yes, people would be surprised how easy it is to slip into homelessness – only a few paychecks missing away – I couldn’t pay my mortgage for a few months when I was in my twenties and sick for an extended period and if my parents hadn’t helped me out I would have been in big trouble.
Thanks for this, Gabe – my Dad always said that we should never pass a beggar without giving them something because homelessness is not something that happens only to other people (as you are well aware from your experience): mental or physical illness or disability, family disputes, unexpected job loss, fatigue, substance abuse, etc, are all possible factors which can affect anyone.
(on a lighter note: “Shut up, Tank, it’s just a bird” – my husband, to the neighbour’s dog barking at the currawong on the roof, not long after I read him this poem…can you understand why I blog?!)
hahaha – sounds like something my hubby would say 🙂
That’s a very ZEN bird, BB! Wonderful images you’ve painted.
It would have to be, Nancy – how else to survive such a life? 😉
just?
Much like society-at-large’s disregard for the homeless…
Thx for stopping by
Brilliant poem Bluebee! At the risk of anthropomorphising are you sure he doesn’t mind? 🙂
Well, Gilly, that all depends on whether you believe he is capable of suffering from an existential crisis… 🙂
It’s all relative, isn’t it?
It certainly is, Tilly
The Fox
doesn’t mind
scraps of human food
a hole in a back garden
sleeping on a porch
in broad daylight
He’s an urban fox!
How adaptable are our animal friends, BB
John
They certainly are, John. Thanks for your delightful addition – that fox has got it made! 😀
One-eyed sleep, without even a buddy to watch out for eyes that take no notice or too much. Life without a safe haven is hard to imagine, Bluebee. Happy New Year to you!
So true, Monica – we are fortunate to have our safe havens.
Happy New Year to you, dear lady 🙂
A beautiful little thought, my friend. An unspoken correlation is underlying. Thank you for sharing this insightful gem
Thank you, Vampire Weather – too many people out there with nothing
Perhaps that is why sometimes it feels as though it would be good to be more like the bird. Nice write!
Funny, Renee, I originally had a different ending – “I wish I was a bird”
I know what you mean – it would be really good not to care sometimes but, of course, it’s part of what makes us human – have to take whatever life throws at us – good and bad.
Thx 🙂
More and more people have a real struggle to survive, Bb. I can understand how, sometimes, one could wish to be a bird… although, overall, I would not. I love the way in which you have illustrated this poem! Good thinking!
I really wonder if survival is truly more of a struggle than it was, say, 30 years ago, or whether we are more aware of it because we are older now. What are your thoughts on this, Adeeyoyo?
It is hard to say because we have become used to so much more, eg washiing machines, electric gadgets, mostly to make life easier. Of course there are many more really poor people now I think and I sometimes wonder how they manage to feed themselves and their many offspring. Probably we do notice these things more because we are older…
I suspect my reaction to this is just what you intended: Just a bird! And then I started thinking about what the poem meant, its description of life on the streets during “cold-hearted weather,” and the picture of a dollar bill and what that means within the context of society as a whole and the irony of that within the other context of homelessness. That left me feeling a little outraged at our society at the start of 2012, this morning. What an effective post. Tom
You have absolutely mirrored my thinking behind this poem – thank you, Tom. It’s wonderful to see the variety of perspectives people take from a poem: these ways of seeing that are instructive to the poet!
This is a creative way of dealing with our inhumane dealings with other humans, homelessness. This can’t be said enough. Thank you for this gorgeous poem. Ethel Mortenson Davis
Thank you, Ethel – it’s great to see you over here 🙂
Wow, that makes one stop and think! It’s pouring here, grey and dismal and I often think: I hope the birds are snug.
Might pop the dog on the lead and go and have a look.
I suspect Macaulay may bring a sense of disquiet to those forest birds, Kate 🙂
brilliant – this is really good – really, really good
Thanks, Jo – it’s always good to see what resonates strongly
A wonderful reminder and an interesting perspective from the bird.
Thank you, Nicola
This is a really powerful poem. It has touched me a lot. The cold-hearted weather, the one-eyed sleep. But it’s your last line that is the killer – ‘He’s just a bird.’ How many times do we hear that? It is heartbreaking. One of your best, Bluebee!!
Thank you, Selma – I guess it’s a poem that stems from a deep and primal fear – it’s a harsh world out there, and I’m very grateful that I don’t have to negotiate certain aspects of it (at the moment, anyway)
This is thought provoking and beautiful… You are gifted lady! 🙂 Glad we connected.
♥Happy ♥New ♥Year ♥ & TY for the blog love! 🙂
Elizabeth
Thank you, Elizabeth 😀 Blogging connections have opened my eyes and mind 🙂
bb
Xx
A thoughtful reminder that it’s all about survival 🙂
It’s a strong instinct, Jan (although, I think, stronger in some than in others)
great piece bb.. we all have to feel this and be grateful for what we have. nice!
Thanks, Eva
such depth in these words BB…
Thanks, Graham – homelessness is a damning indictment of human society
Thought-provoking, indeed. The ‘only a …’ syndrome is alive and well in the world.
It certainly is, Col. Thanks.
Good to see you over here 🙂
What an incredible viewpoint on the plight of people on the streets. Very powerfully articulated.
Thank you, Elaine – I think homelessness is one of the most terrible things for a human to endure