6:26am Train
By Mark Burrow
- 2815 reads
Hunched across two seats
bare red feet on show
skin peeling, swollen
hood yanked low to the nose
a rucksack used as a pillow
plastic bags stuffed in gaps
a man sleeps
or pretends to
on the early morning train
seeking warmth, shelter
before a guard
orders him off
although, of course
there's nowhere to go
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Comments
Poor man. People used to do
Poor man. People used to do this on the circle line as I think it was the only one that ran 24 hours
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You remind me of a something
You remind me of something I saw late on a cold night a long time ago. I remember seeing a homeless man pushed off a London Underground train by a conductor at Finsbury Park. When he thought no one was looking he walked down the tunnel following the track, carrying with him all his homeless man's kit. If he survived the walk I hope he survived the night.
Turlough
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Aye Mark, and there were also
Aye Mark, and there were also those little fellas that lived in tunnels beneath Wimbledon Common and survived by using up things that the everyday folk left behind. They made a television series about them. One of them was from Bulgaria I believe.
Turlough
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Incredibly resilient,
Incredibly resilient, resourceful person, to build a bunker and stay hidden for years! Must have been so frustrating though, to keep being told to apply for accommodation, as if there is any to spare anywhere there are jobs. Really good poem, stark. The repeated "o" sound all through, desolate as a cry or howl
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Thankyou so much for your
Thankyou so much for your wonderful writing, which is a privilege to read! I hope you have a lovely Christmas too :0) And that you get a good rest!
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Tragic. But there are some
Tragic. But there are some people trying to provide shelters aren't there? The situation can arise so suddenly probably. Rhiannon
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an epidemic of homelessness.
an epidemic of homelessness. normalised.
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Adroitly done, Mark. And a
Adroitly done, Mark. And a poignant image.
My last story on here was an attempt to highlight the homelessness issue. I think I heard on the radio that a school in London has something like 81% of students classed as homeless at the moment. The changes made to process asylum cases faster just means more people evicted from government funded accomodation sooner and thrown into the hands of councils who can't cope as it is. It's a modern day scourge and one we should be collectively ashamed of.
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Congratulations! This is Our Poem of the Week 22 Dec 23
Well said and well done.
Could our readers please spread the word on social media?
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Hi Mark
Hi Mark
A poem to make us think, and appreciate just how lucky most of us are.
There was a story some years ago about a man who took up residence on a traffic island, one of those with lots of trees and bushes. Locals helped him out taking food parcels. He was offered 'proper' accommodation but always refused.Council unusually left him alone. When he died many people went to his funeral. An attempt was made to find out who he was. Very little was discovered other than he was a Polish refugee (I think).
Lindy
Józef Stawinoga (15 December 1920 – 28 October 2007), also known as Fred and incorrectly reported as Josef, was a homeless Polish man who lived in a tent on the Wolverhampton Ring Road in the West Midlands, England, for nearly 40 years.[(Just found this on wiki with more information about him)
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