INVISIBLE
By Frances Harris
Nobody sees you walking these streets,
Pushing your trolley, hungry, disheveled,
You pass by the shops, and then
turn to the right,
Looking for something; someone
perhaps?
People around you, they all turn away,
On the side of the trolley, a story to tell,
A name and a message for people
to see,
‘Thank you for tips,’ the first
of them says,
‘My name is Irene,’
I can’t turn away,
Irene has been walking these streets for a while,
The dog that she’s carried is no
longer here,
Where do you go when the light
turns to dark?
Your innocence shows,
In a world of your own,
Your head is bowed low as you go near the crowd,
The dress that you wear is
tattered and torn,
How do you cope when winter
comes on?
A difficult life
For someone like you,
I don’t see you speak, when you amble this way,
Your eyes are quite red and
tinged with despair,
It’s sadness I see, and a silent
resolve,
You make it each day,
Another, to see,
As you walk I feel helpless, I can’t take the chance,
You might become frightened and
show me your heels,
I summon the courage to call you
by name,
You look at me blankly as if I’m
not here,
A minute or two goes by then I see,
You turn to me slightly, while walking away,
A smile on your lips has lifted my day.
