The streets are not paved with gold
they are more roughly paved and
sleeping there can get pretty cold
but he is hardly sleeping through
the night with it’s many distractions
despite it’s comfort inside for you
And he met none of his dreams
having come so far
but all the night-time screams
leave him cold and pale
and he thinks maybe he has an infection
as the alarms go off and the sirens wail
The noise of the city at night
is no less than what’s heard in the day
but he somehow has more of a fright
at every movement and shadow
and when the thugs come kicking the homeless
he grabs all his things to go
But this night he never quite made it
and he took quite a beating for trying
to escape with his belongings and flee
he never quite made it through this life
never had children or family
no job, no home, no wife
And no-one will ever remember
just another dead body on the street
and another statistic for December
no-one to contact or let know
and no-one to grieve or miss him
as the day moves on from the slow
Fraser
August 2023