Poverty in the City - a Poem for dVerse Poetics

  Not a pleasant place 

I came and I saw 

I saw what you may never wish to see 

People were sleeping in the streets 

and on the steps of closed store fronts 

Dogs were weaving in 

weaving in amongst the sleepers 

trying to steal a crumb 

or leftover bites 

Hungry were all 

the dogs and the people 

People who were men 

men and some women 

Women usually dressed 

fairly well, a small 

suitcase in their shopping cart 

Honking horns abound 

but those didn't seem to hinder 

any of the ones sleeping there 

Under the bridges were crowded 

sometime had to argue for a spot 

They too seemed to have pets 

dogs mostly a few kittens 

But the dogs sleeping loose 

on the sidewalks and under the trees 

It seemed like a bad dream 

was glad that I could leave

this forsaken city 

city of the poor 

(this is not necessarily just Istanbul 

it could be your city and/or mine 

a compilation from memories) 

 

  

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 - Photos and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2013 and 2023 Respectively, All Rights Reserved (photos from our 2013 visit to Istanbul-URL)

 - I am linked with Sanaa Rizivi at dVersed Poetics at  

    https://dversepoets.com/2023/08/08/poetics-creating-visuals-and-amber-rose-tamblyn/ 

 - To see others writing on topic, click here

 - Sanaa asked us to "Observe how she (Rose Tamblyn) creates visuals by employing unexpected descriptions in her poems. Feel free to write about darker (more under-rated) subjects. The aim here is to explore the “human condition,” and to write spontaneously. Shall we? 

 - For sure this was spontaneous, I've visited around the world, the dogs and the cat here were from Istanbul. 

    Paris had NONE, NONE of this.  Paris, France, is in totally Socialized country.  Not even a bum on the street let alone sleeping there.  (I have been told that in the areas were tourists do not go.  I may check this out later, you can also for yourself if you care.  It could be Fake News that I was given, someone totally against socialism.  These do not realize the need for it in some areas, I believe we in the U.S. have our share, education, highway care and construction, space activities, defense, etc., necessities we would not have without the government stepping in.  I have observed this in Martinique, it is lily clean of poverty all over as opposed to Barbados where vagrants were on the streets.)   

    London, England was the worst.  Even our Houston, Texas has 4,050 over half sleep in shelters (street pictures here).  It was many, many more until in 2020 a state grant removed them drastically.  

  - Mark Twain told of the "Dogs in Constantinople". (read and see here).

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