Bobbie Troy’s most recent work, How Do Rivers Hide Their Tears, appeared as part of Contributor Series 5: Dramatis Personae. Bobbie was a vox poetica Pushcart Prize nominee last year for her poem Dear Diane. You can hear her speak about her writing at 15 Minutes of Poetry. This collection is powerful and spare, signature traits of her work.
Homeless Trilogy
By Bobbie Troy
Homeless
(originally published in Concise Delight Magazine of Short Poetry, Issue 1, Summer 2009. Reprinted with permission of the author.)
old man
on a bench
wearing morning,
noon, and night
around his neck
like a yoke
Homeless #2
old woman
on the sidewalk
holding a box
of broken promises
Homeless #3
children huddling
under a bridge
clinging to their
teddy bear of hope
A grim description of what has happened and what will happen. Nice Job, Bobbie.
Powerful and spare indeed. What’s interesting about these three poems is each stands on its own, but if you read all three in succession they flow well together. Separately, they could be individual portraits. Together they seem comprehensive, incorporating different perspectives of homelessness.
Bobbie, you’ve accomplished so much with so little on such a huge topic.
I thought they were great: crisp, poignant images, like haiku.
I love this. The descriptions are small, and it’s very minimal (in a good way) but I can still get an image of each scene in my head.
im sending my angels for the homeless people
Thank you, everyone!
What beautifully sad unexpected metaphors.
Compelling, concise commentary on an often ignored part of our society. Just wonderful, Bobbie.
Good to hear from you, Pat and Carol. Thanks for the lovely comments.