Street roots., February 19, 2016, Page 12, Image 12

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Poetry/Prose
Street Roots • Feb. 19-25, 2016
Gratitude
The Small Things in Life
By Ron Sanford
by Doug Mareks
It’s midday. I am sitting on my usual stool at the counter
having coffee while waiting for the eggs and bacon of my
weekly brunch. I can smell the coffee, the bacon frying, the
maple syrup being warmed up and the pancakes getting
slightly burned, just like I like it. It’s raining outside, so the
air is crisp and clean coming into the diner. It mingles
nicely with the scents coming from the kitchen. The
waitress’s perfume is flowery, as she bends to place my
plate down in front of me with the scent of roses and lilacs a
great contrast to my musky aftershave and wet wool.
I am one of only a few in here. I like to beat the Sunday
church crowd. It’s slower. If I want to chat with my server, I
can, or if I want peace and quiet to reflect on my plans for
the day or coming week, I can.
Then the church crowd comes in and it is controlled chaos,
so I just sit back and watch.
The mystery of suffering can’t be
translated except by proximation.
No words can describe the pain of an
abused child, and orphan or a helpless
widow.
Someday I will write of happy topics like
finding true love in a depraved individual,
learning how to overlook the most
hideous of flaws, flowers and kittens and
such.
Homelessness has been quite an
experience, but I have been blessed.
Cursing was turned into blessing in my
case? I no longer mock the afflicted, the
poor and those victimized by others in
various ways.
I will choose to learn the easy way, the
best I cart, knowing my faith in God and
dogged persistence will pull me through
and save me. “Lord, I believe! but help
my unbelief!”
Compassion must be learned, it is not
handed to you on a silver platter. Yet it is
a free gift which cannot be earned, you
just need to learn how to accept it with
gratitude. Say, “Thank You!”
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Page 13
Forward Backward
Are Just Words
by Cactus
On the side of the road
that I was walking on
there were some woods
that didn’t have any houses
or buildings nearby.
Turning into them
without a path to follow
dense scrub oak
drawing closer together
until branches have no space between them
on the ground.
If crawling is a direction
that’s where I am headed
under branches
through them
Sunlight is coming through
Branches are gone
Ground is white
with little bones
scattered around
shuffling in the treetops
black wings
cawing
croaking
dozens of crows
No one’s ever told me about a place like this
I don’t know if anyone’s been here
Probably most people
don’t crawl around under these trees
I am crawling back to the road.
Are you a
Veteran
experiencing
THE MAGIC IS IN THE HOLE!
2 2 SW 3RD
& BURNSIDE
or at risk of
becoming
homeless?
T ra n s itio n ^
Projects ■
Please call 855.425.5544
or visit 650 NW Irving Street
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