A Homeless Woman
Traffic lights taunt,
flick red, shouting
FORWARD MOTION
IS A PROGRESSIVE IDEA
THAT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Cars surge and bellow, trumpets
blown in on the wind of a
thousand competing directions.
Thirty minutes out, heat shimmers
an asphalt mirage and the city
thunders and wails like an unfed baby.
A borrowed engine lurches and coughs
to its cowardly mid-intersection death and
the green light metal stampede minnows
past in singleminded punctual intent.
Sweat beads become mercenary rivulets.
Pointed toes of welfare heels
protest a four mile pothole sprint,
the image of two children afraid to hope
held tightly in two pumping fists.
The interview waits impatiently
tapping its contemptuous foot.
About this poem
Poetry prompt was one word: anxiety. This is what came out when I thought about it.
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Submitted on June 15, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 3 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCDEFDGHIIJKLMFNOPQIR |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 700 |
Words | 119 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 22 |
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"A Homeless Woman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/129966/a-homeless-woman>.
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