Submitted to Poets United
Poetry Pantry #373
September 30, 2017
****************
Under the highway overpass, sun browned leaves
skitter across the pavement and gather about the
cardboard castles of those who call them home.
Their residents seek escape from the real world.
Jaded with empty pleasures, haunted by old regrets
and unfulfilled promises, their stories are as varied
as their faces.
A heartbeat away are the glittering hotels, the valet
parking, and the posh pubs where money and liquor
flow freely … and the beautiful people seek escape
in other ways.
****************
the road to escape
disparate byways chosen
a dichotomy
Loved the social commentary on this one, Bev. I like cardboard castles here - to some these kind of homes are more precious than the palaces.
ReplyDeleteSuch a contrast - those with too much and those with too little, each seeking escape in various ways. Well said, Beverly!
ReplyDeleteThe contrast is startling... and the wider you look there will always be those for which a box is a castle...
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head Bev, a great write. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteSuch an intriguing contrast you have painted here, Beverly!
ReplyDeleteAs winter approaches, your poem squeezes at my heart. The cold makes things get really rough for cardboard castle dwellers in New York City, and those who can help most rarely care to notice... not while the snow might ruin their pretty shoes.
ReplyDeleteIndeed - different lifestyles exist so close to one another - but it seems those who live in fancy hotels are hardly aware at all of the struggling who live so near.
ReplyDeleteExcellent comparison.\
ReplyDeleteZQ
True. You're right and I like your poem! Great write!
ReplyDeleteLives so different, yet all human. There is such contrast in some of the ways we live.
ReplyDeleteGood writing.
The shared truth that hides in these seemingly paradoxical 'temporary quarters' is stunning. A superbly written haibun ... the haiku dovetailing beautifully with the prose piece.
ReplyDeleteAnd each in the posh hotel are but moments away from cardboard boxes...we all are.
ReplyDeleteDonna@LivingFromHappiness
I've seen many such scenes of contrast, but have never lived them.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad reality in life that plays out so often. You have captured the true essence of escapism.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a juxtaposition. I could have sworn it was an underpass in Asheville NC. I visited a homeless man there one to see his collection of bottles.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are places where the divide is very apparent. A sad world, when both extremes feel the need for escape from their own particular kind of poverty. Neither is to be preferred, I think.
ReplyDeleteThey are not beautiful people. They don't even look it.
ReplyDeleteVery stark parallels in in your haibun Bev. Meeting points are vividly unrealistic
ReplyDeletemuch love...
Monday WRites 125 is live
ReplyDeleteI invite you to link in
much love...
The contrast between the haves and the have-nots is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteIt is that inequality that leads to chaos..a world in which a few have too much and too many have too little. A sad commentary on our times.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it right on the head. What a contrast in lives. So sad.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent (but sad) social commentary Bev.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]