Tuesday Night in Detroit

Like cockroaches
the homeless swarm
out from under darkened houses
when the caravan arrives
with warm meals and clothes,
dispensing medical help and hope.
and love.
Yes, love.
For they are people, not roaches
and they have needs and wants
and dreams.
Rehab was full when they reached that point
that they wanted help and needed to quit
and hit that mark that pushed them
to try. Again. Their stuff was stolen
while
they waited in a line to just be turned away
and might they have a blanket
or a pair of shoes?
The caravan wraps them in warmth
and offers pepper spray.
Not an easy life on the city streets.
They see a tiny lady they've been
worried about for weeks and she's smiling
as she's happy to see them too. She
doesn't need anything tonight; she's good.
This lady needs everything,
grasps at second chances and third and fifteenth.
She takes a hug with her as she
crawls back through a broken winder
into the dug out hole beneath a rotten floor.
But it keeps the rain out and on sunny days
she can see the blue sky. And she can hear
her ladies coming down the streets in the dark.
No streetlights here, but there are
shadows aplenty..