An Empty Glass

An empty glass is my fifteenth book of poetry. It features the poem Down and out.

Down and out,
in the middle of town,
down and out in the rainswept streets,
down and out with barely anything waterproof at all,
down and out with,
no shelter,
no warmth,
drunk,
high on something,
with hungry eyes,
and with barely any friends,
and with friends,
and with barely any or no family at all,
and in the snow,
freezing, suffering, and shivering,
in the sun and in the heat,
trying to stay safe,
and being attacked,
down and out amongst the fights,
and the arguments and the screaming,
and the anger and the frustration and the rage,
with the anxiety and the tears,
and struggling to exist with barely anything to drink,
and with barely any food at all,
down and out with barely anyone to listen,
down and out and relying on charity and charities,
and out in the rain and on a daily basis,
going through them all,
going through all these situations,
part of the daily struggle to exist and to survive,
not much fun at all,
not much fun at all,
and it should not be happening at all,
it should not be happening at all,
but it does,
and it is a continual war,
a continual war upon the mind,
a continual war upon the body and the soul,
and it is terrible shame,
when people suffer for no reason at all,
and in the twenty first century this should not happen at all,
it should not happen at all,
because we have enough for all,
we have countless empty houses,
and surplus food,
and there is no reason for homelessness,
and suffering to exist whatsoever,
and shouldn't we,
we as s