“Homeless”

Meseret Sileshi

Art of Creative Unity Award 2022 | First Prize

Homeless

I see you, sitting there
with your lips parched
your face sun burned and muddied
your clothes tattered and battered
decaying on your very body
your legs thrusted out
your feet bare and cracked
your eyes looking hopeless, defeated
with no glimmer of hope or determination
they look at the passersbys with resignation
with no hope that some one of them could extend their hand towards you your presence has been familiarized, adapted
you have endured your fair share of sympathy sounds
sad looks thrown your way
but experience has thought you they won’t mean anything
It makes me ache to see you
to see how young you are and how hopeless
looking at you I feel selfish
I see the value of the life I was given and you were not
I look at you and I want to help
but the minute you’re out of my site
all that feeling floats away
I forget the problems you face and kneel before mine
I eat and laugh and play and complain
fully forgetting that you don’t have the luxury to do so
so I don’t help you, Nobody does
the more often I walk by you
the more you blend into the background

Homeless

the more invisible you become until I stop seeing you completely.

Meseret Sileshi was born in Ethiopia on November 7, 2001. She is currently attending college in the capital, Addis Ababa.