Pass Me By No More

lillian

Multiple street corners I tried
army surplus wool blanket
wrapped round hunched shoulders
day old newspapers, my insoles
battered red plastic cup extended
as you rushed by, unseeing passersby
and me, invisible
like the harsh winds you leaned in to
and so I left your world,
ascended to the clouds.

My spirit lives in blue skies
afloat in soft nothingness.
Look up you passersby. See me
reflected in your corporate glass buildings.
But you, marionettes to a status master
strings taut, look straight ahead
rush with dayplanner blinders
unaware of natural beauty,
never mind the street people
dead or alive, we are all invisible.

2 - 1

In response to the Daily Post Photo Challenge:  (extra)ordinary….beautiful everyday things. Clouds are ordinary occurrences…as are street people in the city.

22 thoughts on “Pass Me By No More”

  1. Debbie's avatar Debbie October 17, 2015 / 1:20 am

    The photograph is great, with the clouds reflected in the building, I think it could be upsized.
    But the poem is — really fantastic. an important social issue, but elegantly written. Great work here.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 17, 2015 / 1:38 am

      Thanks so much for the suggestion! Just made the photo bigger. So glad you liked the poem….many thanks for your complimentary words here!

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      • Debbie's avatar Debbie October 17, 2015 / 1:53 am

        OH yes, thats much better now, with the photo bigger! Great poem, again! I always visit my ‘neighbours’ in the wordpress photo challenge! power of synchroninity and all that 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  2. spiritofdragonflies's avatar spiritofdragonflies October 17, 2015 / 2:34 am

    Beautiful. I am always amazed that many people rushing in their daily lives miss the beauty all around them. Love your photo – very nice capture!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 17, 2015 / 2:54 am

      Thank you so much for your very kind words. And yes, in our rushing, we miss so much! Time to slow down and appreciate what is around us, in the country side, ocean side, and in the city too!

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  3. badfish's avatar badfish October 17, 2015 / 3:32 am

    Love your photo. I love images of buildings on other buildings…and the clouds! Haven’t seen those feet in a while, have I?

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 17, 2015 / 10:04 am

      Glad you like the photo. I was struck by the way the clouds were behind the building and also, because of the reflection, seemed to be in the building! 🙂 Wouldn’t that be a wondrous thing, if we could have beautiful clouds floating right in our buildings? Of course, we’d have to shut the doors to the storm and thunder clouds!

      Nice to see you again this morning, over my first cup of coffee! Happy I am.

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      • badfish's avatar badfish October 18, 2015 / 3:02 am

        It’s good to have clouds…in your building, in your day…over there.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Melinda Kucsera's avatar Melinda Kucsera October 17, 2015 / 4:19 pm

    wow, really makes you stop and think. Powerful words for a powerless people. Thank you. I won’t look at them the same way again.

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 17, 2015 / 5:35 pm

      Many thanks for the thoughtful response and kind words. Truly appreciated! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. AM Roselli's avatar AnnMarie Roselli-Kissack October 17, 2015 / 4:56 pm

    Lillian,
    I love writing that forces us to take stock of our duality: How we humans supposedly live side by side. Some of us are barely surviving while others–ensconced in glass and girder–notice not.
    Powerful poetry, my friend.
    am:)

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 17, 2015 / 5:29 pm

      Ah….somehow another response got duplicated here? Tech genius I am not! Always feel good if I get a positive response from you. Many thanks my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Misky's avatar Misky October 17, 2015 / 8:42 pm

    And the frightening thing is that homelessness can happen to anyone.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Susans Soul...'s avatar Susan Langer October 18, 2015 / 1:58 am

    Very good poem about the harshness of society. I served the homeless through my church giving them dinner once a week until I was too disabled to go any longer. Thank you for your poem.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 18, 2015 / 10:29 am

      Thanks so much for replying here — and also for your previous work with the homeless. So very nice to see your comment this morning. Glad you liked it.

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    • lillian's avatar lillian October 18, 2015 / 10:31 am

      Ah, many thanks! When we were walking in Copley Square, where this is in Boston, I was absolutely amazed to see the reflection of the clouds in this mirrored building….it’s quite common to see the reflection of the church across the street in it….but the clouds really added to the beauty of it!

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