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Homeless On Christmas
Posted by Josiah T., Dec 16, 2007. 223 views. ID = 425
This post was written in 12 minutes.
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 | This is loosely based on a begger I saw when I was in the Philippines three and a half years ago. It was the middle of the summer then, not Christmas. I didn't give her anything. I wish I had. I may make this into a two part series... |  | This post has been awarded 9 stars by 2 readers. |  | This post is Part 1 of a writing series titled Homeless at Christmas. |
I look around me. I see people walking here and there, carrying bags and packages. It's Christmas time, but I have nothing.
I stand at the street corners on some days. Occasionally a sympathetic passer-byer will drop a coin at my feet. Once someone even dropped a $10 bill. That lasted a few days. It's Christmas time. So many people are so rich, but I have nothing.
Some days I stop by the local soup kitchen to beg a meal and socialize with others of my rank. But today the kitchen is closed. All the staff are either on vacation or sick. A few others like me stand at the door looking in, hoping for a light to come on and someone to open the door. It's Christmas time. Some people have so much to eat, but I have nothing.
I wander down the street away from the soup kitchen. It begins to snow. I try to wrap my thin blanket around my tattered jacket tighter, but it does little good. A lady walks by with a soft, fur coat and a warm hat. Some children run by playing. Their mothers have bundled them up warmly. I shiver and walk faster. It's Christmas time. So many people are warm and dry, but I am left to wander about in the cold, snow and rain. I have nothing.
Is there no one in the whole world who will help a poor begger such as I? I too am a human, contrary to what everyone seems to believe. People who've never seen me stare and gawk, while those who have seen me walk by with never a glance nor pitying gaze. Some people have all the world, but I have nothing.
Copyright 2007 Josiah T.. All rights reserved. FifteenMinutesOfFiction.com has been granted non-exclusive rights to display this work. For permission to reprint this item, please contact the author.
Comments
Douglas
Dec 21, 2007 | I like the first four paragraphs the best - you've got a similar structure to the closing of each paragraph, with the "It's Christmas time. So many people are so rich, but I have nothing." motif repeated each time. I think it would be interesting to see this structure repeated precisely throughout the entire piece - it would really read as much like a poem as prose. :)
~Posted by Douglas, Dec 21, 2007 |
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