THE SORROW’S MINE
What shame in homelessness? The sorrow’s mine.
No break of stride. No turn of eye.
I am a heavy coat. A cardboard sign.
I had a husband and a daughter fine,
but lost them years ago with no goodbye.
What shame in homelessness? The sorrow’s mine.
As winter wails I ride the subway lines.
Invisible to sun, to rain-bowed sky.
I am a heavy coat. A cardboard sign.
Days gone I set firm faith on the divine.
Begged, Jesus don’t you let our baby die.
What shame in homelessness? The sorrow’s mine.
I lit white candles for our girl. A shrine.
But prayers don’t work. The chapel preachers lied.
I am a heavy coat. A cardboard sign.
I taste my God in red communion wine
and watch the tapers gutter in the aisle.
What shame in homelessness? The sorrow’s mine.
I am a heavy coat. A cardboard sign.
—from Rattle #58, Winter 2017
__________
Sue O’Dea: “I write poetry because I like the way that playing with the rhythm and meaning of a tight set of words brings me to an understanding of issues in life. I find that writing in form often distills the poem down to the essential truth of itself, and I enjoy the challenges of creating a poem within the confines of the form.”
