On The Street
So many people, left out on the street.
Be more in these turbulent, rock-bottom days,
With angry eyes, smoky brains, tired feet;
Shiver in cold and thirst in the heat;
Lonely, ragged, skittish to meet,
And misunderstood in their ways.
Some folks you’ll find there are really lost:
Their thoughts floating ‘round and around,
With oceans of hope that they can’t swim across.
Some are too proud to submit to a boss,
Or in hiding, revelation’s too high of a cost,
And they’d rather stay close to the ground.
When you live in the jungle, you learn the ropes,
And you do what it takes to survive.
You might feel you’re a stranger. You learn to cope.
You flow with the crazies, the cons, and the dope.
You jump through the hoops of the bringers of hope.
It’s rarely a place you can thrive.
But God keeps loving us all the same.
We’re all a part of one humanity.
We begin again, forgetting the blame.
We learn our lessons, releasing our shame,
And see our lives as a kind of a game:
That’s the way we hold on to our sanity!
Although some will be able to find their niche,
Knowing their friends and connections.
You can travel the world if you know how to hitch.
You can run with a gang. You can be a snitch.
Beneath the radar, you can even get rich,
Or sustained under someone’s protection.
People come through, but not with reliance.
Everyone’s in so much flux.
Try taking control and you’ll meet with defiance.
Make an agreement. You won’t find much compliance.
You can talk about politics; talk about science:
Survival is really the crux!
But God keeps loving us all the same,
Despite all our posing and vanity.
We begin again, forgetting the blame.
We learn our lessons. Releasing our shame,
And see our lives as a kind of a game:
But we never lose sight of reality!
There will arise movements to raise our condition,
And sustain a real counterculture;
Inspired projects for a common mission;
Real involvement and shared decision;
An organization unfolding a vision
That can’t be misused by a vulture!
But mostly, the dream remains a dream
While we all strive to be more aware
That people are more than what they may seem;
That there’s a thousand ways for a spirit to scream.
The Light is in us. We can channel its beams,
Giving strength to know how to care.
And God keeps loving us all the same.
We’re all a part of that divinity.
We begin again, forgetting the blame.
We learn our lessons, releasing our shame,
And see our lives as a kind of a game
With endless possibility!
