I made the poem a LITTLE BIT more nuanced and added a gibe! Beating a Dead Horse. Jill

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jill stockinger

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Dec 7, 2023, 4:13:46 PM12/7/23

to Rennaissance writing Group, Robert L. Smith, Kaolin Fire, Max Stockinger, Connie Johnstone, Karen Arenson, Kim Knighton, Jim Gormley

Echoes from the Terrible Past in the Present and Future by Jill Stockinger

Many want the homeless
to just go away, to disappear
from their sight, steadfastly
refusing to let the miserable plight
of those not having hearth
or warmth this Christmas eve
(so like the Jewish baby Jesus at birth)
to disturb their revelry.
They bask in self-praise
as they heap even more
onto the enormous amount
of what they have, including
self-induced blindness and a cold
shoulder for those in need.

Chivvied from one place
to the next, those who have little
or nothing are simply regarded
by this vocal, hostile group
as dirty vermin and harmful pests
who should be rounded up
and disposed of, quietly
and efficiently—and who
does this sound like?

Are we not all broken beings,
wittingly or unwittingly
harmful to those around us?
I thank those who work
at helping others, knowing
the unhelpful ones, the helpers
and those being helped
are all human, worthy
at least of some human
decency, from all of us