Midnight Dreamers.

[KennyWebber]

I couldn't tell you the time, but I can tell you it was far too late.
Too late to be asking for dollar bills. Too late for charity.
We both knew what it's like to work the graveyard shift.
Our definitions may differ.

I know what they say about the homeless and beer.
But it's any man's right to forget. Is it not any man's right...
to sleep somewhere in a hole as empty and as dark
as his stomach?

He has nothing but his clothes and the moon,
unfortunately for him, it's not made of cheese.
The moon has shown me a great deal about borrowing.
It's too late tonight for borrowing.

Nothing is simultaneously so beautiful and barbed
as seeing a man smile when asked what he likes to eat.
A sight that echos volumes in my mind when I watch others
so busy they forget to smile while chewing.

After the order is placed we sit.
Basking in the glow of neon signs.
Silence is golden, and tonight...

We.
Are.
Wealthy.

I ask him what he wanted to be when he was younger.
He tells me he wanted to be a cook. Life has a sick sense of humor.
I wonder if somewhere else in the world there is a similar man,
who wanted to build houses.

I wanted to be someone with empathy.
We are midnight dreamers.

When the food arrives he thanks me. I pat his back.
Walks back into the folds where he is barely stomached.
Scrounging scraps outside of supermarkets.
Like light in an event horizon.

The rest of the night flows easy,
save for the whispers of children long passed.
As I sit in my chair, basking in the neon lights...
knowing all I did was buy a cheap poem.

[flux]

Hi, this poem has a generous spirit, there's nothing cheap about it, it's full of compassion. The narrative is easy to follow and at no point did you lose my interest, I was hooked from start to end.

[JingleBelle]

I completely agree with flux. This poem is generous and compassionate, neither of which are easy things to be. It is also beautifully written, and I very much enjoyed reading it.


Flower of Beautiful Compassion

[D.J.Gallese]

Very compassionate indeed, well written, enjoyed ty for sharing Deb♥

[everhopeful]

Absolutely relentless poetry. Although the speaker comes across quite cold and brutally blunt, I see elements of compassion in his observations and I suspect it's the subject matter which actually gives this more of a cruel tone simply because it's a facet of life which feels cruel to see. There's a touch of irony, even a little bit of very dark humour, but it's so bitter on face value many people will get lost in that side of things.
Excellent work, congratulations on the spotlight.

[karrie]

Such a wonderful and captivating write. Congratulations on the well deserved spotlight

[musie]

I must agree with what other's have said about this. It's written with so much compassion and passion in the giving and the emotion's so well expressed....A wonderful piece of work...Congratulation's on the Spotlight....Musie

[nortan223]

A powerful message that contrasts the attitudes of the "have and have-nots". Your poem has the compassion that qualifies (and even justifies) these attitudes. At the same time, it emphasises that crossing to the other side of the street is not a solution either.
A well crafted piece of writing that varies it pace with it's attendant emotions.
A well deserved Spotlight.

[ladymaybebaby]

Wow, First congratulations on a much deserved turn in the spotlight! This is my first time reading your work and I must say I have been missing out... I adore your writing style. The subtle metaphors woven inside the overall " bigger picture" of the poem and it's meaning was just wonderful! I will certainly be looking for your work now. You have a new fan.

-LMB
xoxo

[songofmeadow]

Well deserved spotlight for a compelling poem that firmly sits the reader down and gives them no choice but to digest in the light intended, a superb piece of social commentary, meadow

[sunsetgrey]

I really enjoyed the way this poem played out. You've managed to make the whole scene seem ordinary and relatable, and yet craft it so meticulously. I felt like it slowly unraveled before my eyes. Lovely, lovely. It's a very interesting take on this particular social trend, and the gritty reality delivered in the tone of the poem really gave it dimension. I loved the break in the structured stanzas for We. Are. Wealthy. and the use of the caesura for emphasis.

Great write and props on the awesome choice of subject matter, well deserved spotlight!

[Jahaliel]

This was just so absorbing to read, a wonderful piece and well deserving of the Spotlight.

[inflames]

This is awesome. I really love the flow to this piece and how it expresses emotions with such tenderness. Congrats on the spotlight!