Who Am I (a poem)

Who am I?

I am but a face, I have a voice but am not heard.

I am seen but, am not seen by so many.

I walk amongst you, but, not beside.

I am like you in many ways, yet I am different as well.

I am perceived as dirty, unkempt, and other words of disgust.

I am to be loathed and feared, and so am misunderstood.

I am a drunk, a druggie, vagabond or bum.

I am deemed worthless, a wretched soul with no use.

I am sometimes hunted for the infliction of pain.

I am ridiculed at times, spat upon or shoved aside.

I am at times forgotten and just passed by.

I am nothing more than "one of them."

I am a Mother's Son or Daughter.

I am a Brother or a Sister, A Mom or a Dad.

I am an Uncle, Aunt or even a Grandparent.

I am a friend or a neighbor or someone you knew.

I am surrounded by many but am so alone.

I am made of flesh of bones and blood.

I am hungry and tired, I am sometimes young and sometimes old.

I am cast away and now see the world in a different view.

I was like you once, I had a home in which I dwelled.

It was like yours made of nails and wood, sturdy and sound.

The roof kept me dry when the rains came down.

The walls kept the cold nights at bay when I lay down to sleep.

I was like you once in so many ways.

I too thought I would never be like "one of them."

I now am "one of them," the forgotten and the shunned.

I am a mere face that is often overlooked and a voice that is not heard.

I hear your words as you pass me by.

I see your eyes as they look away or look at me with disgust.

I am no longer part of a world which I once lived in.

I am nothing more to you than "one of them."

I now have no home, no bed or walls.

I am hungry, tired and sometimes cold.

My roof and walls are made of cloth and threads and leak in the rain.

I shiver at night when the cold winds blow.

I have feelings -- so many it seems.

I, like you, feel happy and pain, laughter and sorrow.

My eyes show my inner self but not as I was.

Now they show wonder and fear the twinkle has left.

Who am I -- you ask and what does this all mean?

The answer is simple.

I am a Mother's Son.

How quickly you forget, I am a person.

-- Author Unknown
Thank you to whomever you are that wrote this and put it on my desk! One Love -- Kelly