A free verse poem, Tony Malzone
Born to ones that didn’t want, there was no home there. A new home they said, fosters were their names. From foster to foster she went, but there was no home there. She’s not good enough, she told herself. A bulimic angst, a classroom embarrassment, they told her. She ran away. Drawn to the ones who shot up the vain, she too started to use. They say home is where the heart is, but a heart she’s never seen. On the sidewalk cold and dark, was now where she was seen. A place she went to every night, but there was no home there. A city so large, one in a million she was, but there was no home there. Until one day, she was walking about, saw a sign that read Housing First, and decided to check it out. A non-profit it was, humble and kind, they gave her a smile and said “Welcome home, what can we help you find.” She said, “A home a home, a home is what I need, I’ve been on the streets my whole life, please help me, I’m in need.” As the name says, housing first is what they do, they gave her a place, and a counselor, with empathy and solitude. And day by day, she got on her feet, built a home for herself, and decided to help others in need. With a heart so big, she dedicated her life. Giving back to the community, and helping others live a better life. With each new stranger, she showed them the way, she told them, “There is a home here, and you deserve to stay.”