The Homeless.
Tenebrous spectres, they exist, out there,
on the crumbling edge of chaos.
A father, a son, a brother,
a daughter, a sister, a mother.
Fragments of some shattered family structure;
waste products
from a society being driven to destruction
by a hurricane of greed
living a life that wears out life,
dying,
the devious death of exhaustion from existence.
A recurring feature of this capitalist system is it ability to just scrap and abandon people, and let the needy perish in the midst of incredible wealth. Glasgow has it homeless problem, which is allowed to persist, in city with countless empty properties, even in the midst of Scotland's cruel and harsh winter. Property and wealth are valued more than human life.
Last Monday/Tuesday was blizzard conditions in Glasgow, and one young man faced that blizzard alone, and on the street, the price he paid was his life. He was found dead in the morning lying outside one of the city's large stores. To die of the cold, on the street at 28 years of age, in what is supposed to be a civilised country, is not an accident, it is a crime. It was not just the fact that he was homeless, a crime in itself, but he needed help, he suffered from alcohol addiction and mental health problems, where was that caring society? Because of his problem he spent long periods sleeping rough, Why? Where was the help that a civilised society should produce as standard? He was not the first to die on our streets, and as long as we tolerate a system that puts money and profit before human life, he will not be the last. To die alone on the street is an indictment to a failed system, it is the manifestation of a greed driven system that abandons the needy and the weak. Who will be brought to justice for this crime?
Homeless Matthew Bloomer, 28, was found by police outside the TJ Hughes department store on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Trongate at around 9.10am on Tuesday after spending the night outside in freezing conditions.Speaking to STV News, his older brother Paolo Barnett-Bloomer, 30, paid tribute to Celtic fan Matthew.------------Matthew had struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health issues, which led to him spending long periods sleeping rough on the streets.
The Warmth Of A Dream.
He lay in a dark doorway, dreamed of home,
night frost locked his joints
morning rain chilled the marrow of his bone.
In the dream there was a sister,
a pram in the garden, a crowd of youngsters
who called him "mister", a time of little pain.
Are these youngster the same young men, who
now laugh at him, throw beer cans,
piss on him as he lies drunk in some dark lane?
When was that first step down this slippery slope,
when was that first step to no forgiveness.
No will to rise to beg for food,
numbness kills the pain.
The dream brings a warmth that feels good,
dark fog shades out consciousness,
an ambulance carries off a body washed in rain.
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