Charity Sunday: Denver Rescue Mission #SnipSun

 

Image by Leroy Skalstad from Pixabay

When I was working delivering groceries and takeout in downtown Denver, I often drove by the Denver Rescue Mission. Their work is never done. There isn't enough room to accommodate everyone, so I would see homeless folks outside. 

I saw a group of people in wheelchairs huddling together to keep warm.

I saw an elderly man with a walker sitting up against the wall.

The nearby trash cans tend to be perpetually overflowing. The police are always in close proximity, but I never witnessed anyone causing problems. 

I would be homeless myself if it hadn't been for my son allowing me to live with him. After I was fired from my more-than-full-time job in March of 2017, I could no longer keep up with the bills. I was never able to work full-time again because of my increasing levels of disability. From that day forward I was only able to do low-paying contract work and my reserves quickly disappeared.

The house that my son and I now live in is bought and paid for thanks to the generosity of his dad, who used the money he inherited from his aunt to purchase it.

I don't dislike my ex-husband. Far from it. We divorced amicably in 1994. We have been family to each other for years. 

There should be no homelessness, but with the cost of housing, it is becoming reality for more and more people.

My family has given to the Denver Rescue Mission for decades. I will donate a dollar for every comment I receive on this post.

https://denverrescuemission.org/ways-to-give/

The following is an excerpt from my newly-published poetry volume, December Mood.

Our Last Stand

Free use image by Peter H on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/gang-floor-pforphoto-house-4058017/

When I was young, I believed that my dreams would come true eventually if I just believed hard enough. I believed that when I wished on a star that fairies or angels would work to make my wishes come true.

I believed that if I worked hard, I would be accepted into the Magical World of Shiny Happy People that lay beyond the Wall of Despair.

Then my body failed me.

My son and I moved away from the city to a town far from anywhere.

My Big Bright Dreams are dead and gone, but I believed that perhaps a few people would pay a couple dollars to read my little stories.

My money is gone.

I had one last chance

to turn defeat to triumph

I failed our last stand

there is nothing behind the wall

except a space where the wind whistles

144 words

Prompts used and how the poem was created:

D’Verse Poets: Write a piece of prose incorporating the given verse.

https://dversepoets.com/2020/11/09/of‐houses‐walls‐and‐whistling‐winds/

The verse is:

“there is nothing behind the wall

except a space where the wind whistles”

from “Drawings by Children” by Lisel Mueller

What I wrote is a non‐standard Haibun. For those who don’t know, a Haibun is a piece of prose followed by a Haiku. Mine is non‐standard because I placed the two lines above at the end of the Haibun. I originally had them at the beginning of the piece, but I thought they worked better following the Haiku.

If this form goes utterly against the prompt, the hosts of the hop can feel free to remove my link.

I won’t take it personally. I’m too damn tired.

What I wrote is not fiction. It is the Reader’s Digest Condensed Soup version of an entirely autobiographical situation. I would not recommend eating too much of this soup. It will give you heartburn and a bellyache.

The November PAD Chapbook Challenge prompt for today was to write an “our blank” poem.

The title of the Haibun is “Our Last Stand,” and those words also appear in the Senryu portion following the prose.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write‐better‐poetry/2020‐november‐pad‐chapbook‐challengeday‐9

The word of the day is Triumph, which also appears in the Senryu. I have to say that I feel anything but triumphant in this moment. In fact, I feel like I’m going to hurl.

https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/triumph/

Buy Links

This book is always free from Kindle Unlimited. The price to own a copy is $2.99.

https://amzn.to/328embo

The PDF is available from Payhip for $1.50, which is approximately half of the Amazon price. Any tip included to help offset fees set by Paypal and Payhip is appreciated.

https://bit.ly/DecMoodPH

Or buy the PDF on Odysee for 15 LBC, which is approximately half the Amazon price. The value of an LBC at the time of this posting was approximately $0.05. 

https://bit.ly/DecMoodOd

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