Dark Abyss of Homelessness

I wonder how
it would look like
if I were a
homeless, someone despised
by the society,
avoided by fellow
citizens, abandoned
by former friends.
I would be standing
under the downtown
overpass looking for
some handout as,
I know, I am the
pariah and have
nowhere to go,
nobody to turn
into, no one to
listen to me.

The society thinks
of me as worth
nothing as I am
a chronic drug addict,
a dirty vagabond
loitering the downtown
streets and a security
danger to pedestrians
and passers-by.
I visit shelters
to have meals,
meet with my
fellow homeless
brothers to talk
about our addiction,
and in rare occasion,
share my dream of
becoming a good
and productive
citizen again.

I need a little help,
a little empathy,
a little compassion,
a little word of hope
to lift my life
from the dark
abyss of homelessness.