Why is it only in the winter <br />that we notice them? <br />The vulnerable on our streets, <br />the runaways and those <br />who have lost their way. <br />They are there all year around <br />in their cardboard houses <br />the places they call home. <br /> <br />Why is it only in the winter <br />that we finally become aware? <br />In the big cities, they are everywhere. <br />When the city goes to sleep <br />some huddle in doorway shelters, <br />where they sleep <br />covered in newspaper blankets <br />just to keep them warm. <br /> <br />Why is it only in the winter <br />we want to notice them? <br />They are there through <br />all the four seasons, <br />yet it is only in the winter <br />their plight becomes newsworthy. <br />What happened to spring summer and fall? <br />Don’t those seasons count at all. <br />They are still vulnerable <br />in whatever season comes to call, <br />the runaways and those <br />who have lost their way. <br /> <br />Why is it only in the winter <br />that we open our blind eyes <br />to the plight of these vulnerable lives? <br />Sadly, to a lot of us <br />it is only in the winter <br />and its freezing chills <br />that we suddenly realize <br />those less fortunate than ourselves. <br />However, they are there <br />everyday of every year <br />and not just only in the winter. <br /> <br />15 December 2009<br /><br />David Harris<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/only-in-the-winter/
