Homeless – Ian Fletcher

So there they are again
lounging the day away
athwart public benches
in the pedestrian zones
of this postmodern city
ultra strong lager putting
their heads in such a whirl
they act as if they are now
without a care in the world
seeming not so far removed
when all is said and done
from me and my friends
after a pint or two I deem.

But we will go back home
to rest our heads on pillows
with pitiless streets instead
to be their concrete beds.
Cheers! I say on meeting
inane and toothless grins
under crazed deluded eyes
with a forced camaraderie
for aren’t they human too
similar to you and me?

Yet inside I secretly wish
like many ‘good citizens’
that they be washed away
since they are an open sore
on the face of a metropolis
built for our needs not theirs
stirring guilty consciences
on this fine summer’s day
although we’ll not in fact
need to wait too long
as a few harsh winters on
this clutch of lost souls
will all be dead and gone.
About the contributor: Ian has an MA in English Literature from Oxford University. He is originally from Cardiff in the UK but now teaches English in a high school in Taiwan. He has had over 200 poems published in various magazines and journals.