Monday 2 September 2024

Why All The Home-less? What Can We Do?

 


Hoisting the canoe

Onto my shoulders

Wobbling to the lake

Splash! It plunges into the water


Paddling in clear clean water

A relief

A re-lease

Bliss


Landing on the island

Setting up my home: my tent

Protected from the rain

And bugs


But not from bears, coyotes, foxes...

Or the bull frog that pounds on the "door" at 3 a.m.

"Let me in" or maybe he said

"Get off my land" lol


On the way home across the lake

I, again, see all the huge cottages

Better labelled as "second homes"

I am astonished and disgusted every time


At the in-justice, the greed, the unconsciousness

Especially when I arrive in the city

Riding my bike, I'm surrounded by tents

Ripped, dirty, in need of repair


Just like those that occupy them [and all of us]

Perhaps they lost their jobs

Or couldn't exist on the parenthetically low minimum wage

Or are refugees of the climate emergency


Or maybe I'm in Gaza: look at all the tents [that don't stop the water from coming in!]

Where the entire population has to keep moving

Or they will be murdered by the IDF

By the way, they still will be!


Even after moving to "safe zones"

Relocating even 15 times!

Or the 15000 Palestinian homes that have been stolen and demolished

In the West Bank by armed settlers and the IDF

 

They are worse than "just" home-less

10,000 from West Bank imprisoned

Home-less: and tortured, raped yet not charged!

We can watch on our big screen TV's in our warm homes.

 

We need a system change: not charity

A livable minimum wage, unions run by the workers, 

Less capitalism and cops and more social programs

Less bombs and more food


The home-less "are Jesus" and Jesus is the home-less:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,

I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I needed clothes and you clothed me,

I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came and visited me.

...Whatever you did for one of the least

Of these...you did for me."

Matthew 25: 35-36 NIV


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