Wednesday, August 18, 2010

She once had dreams

She once had dreams.

She sits
head bowed
shaggy black hair
covered up
by a soiled grey hoody
covering up
the ravaged eyes
of lost hope and dreams
escaping
in a puff
upon a pipe
that robs her of
dreaming
of being
anywhere
but here
sitting on a sidewalk
back against a wall.

He stumbles
shoulders hunched
grey hair streaked
pulled back
into a pony-tail
head uncovered
revealing
empty eyes
and gaunt cheeks
pockmarked
by years passing by
on the street
to nowhere
but a bottle
left empty
filling up
again
into that space
where once
hopes and dreams
tried desperately to survive
amidst the pain and sorrow
of a past
he could not forget
and the despair
he could not let go of.

They stand
together
falling endlessly
into the abyss
of hopelessness
falling down
cast out
condemnation
falls
upon their heads
bowed in supplication
praying for release
as we pass by
never dreaming
they once
had dreams
worth dreaming.

At the end of her poem, "Mosque", Maureen at Writing without Paper, writes, "I posted this poem for One Stop Poetry, which weekly sponsors "One Shot Wednesday", an event for which poets write and post to their blogs an original poem, in any form, and then share it with the One Stop writing community.

Go here for details and then go write a poem."

I took Maureen's advice, and wrote the poem above. You can too...

14 comments:

Brian Miller said...

i am glad you followed her over to oneshot! you paint a sad picture but we see them everywhere...my home is someone still sees the dream in them and comes along side them to help them get there...great oneshot!

Kathleen Overby said...

Once, they did have dreams. Like us. We are the same.

Louise Gallagher said...

Thanks Brian. It's wonderful to be amongst such a powerful community of poets and poetry!

PattiKen said...

Very true. I confess to being among the guilty, passing them by unseeing. But occaionally, my attention is caught, and I see the person behind the cliche.

Louise Gallagher said...

Hello lovely Kathleen -- if only we could all see the world through eyes like yours. So filled with wonder and awe we'd never give up on dreaming.

Maureen said...

I'm so glad you joined the group at One Shot/One Stop.

Yours is an honest portrait in words. Your imagery clearly convey who it is we so often fail to see.

Hugs, dear friend.

Louise Gallagher said...

Thanks for dropping in Patti -- I think we're all 'guilty' of passing by. I work in a homeless shelter -- and still pass by sometimes caught up in cliches.

Beachanny said...

There's no "just saying no" for so many and so many more who can't help and can't understand. I am happy to know many who are helping and do understand but those people did have dreams and talent and joy. Thank you for compressing their stories into a few emotional lines. Well written. Thank you. Gay

Ben Langhinrichs said...

Very sad, but oh so true. Thanks for sharing.

dustus said...

Sad to consider such circumstances and the broken dreams people harbor. Like the way your lines sound, as well as your descriptions. BTW, what are you feeding Ellie. My goodness, what a big dog! cheers

Monkey Man said...

Dreams shattered and never brought to life...so sad. But we can always build new dreams if we are willing to let go of the old. Great piece.

Louise Gallagher said...

Thanks for dropping by! I work at a homeless shelter -- so see these broken dreams every day -- and sitll believe, there is hope as long as we keep hope alive.

And as to Ellie... haha -- she is a big girl -- and the photo makes her look bigger -- she's lost weight, unlike her mother, who seems to have gained what she took off! But, there's still hope it will disappear on a trail somewhere as I run it off :)

Marshy said...

wow this was so powerful and strong..i have read quite a few poems today that reminded me so much of my youth..there are images in this that took me back to a time..although a sad poignant poem you wrote it exceptionally well..thanks for sharing..pete

Anonymous said...

thanks for this wonderful poem.