Submissions by Rube123 (Joshua Gross)

I couldn’t help but notice
the tears
that threaten to pour from your
downcast eyes.
Or the way you walk:
hands in your pockets and
back hunched, as if
some immense weight was
pushing down on you.

I wanted to tell you that I know how you feel.
I am no stranger to
despair.
To the overwhelming sense that nobody cares,
that you are completely
alone.

I can’t fix all your problems for you.
I can’t step into your life and
magically make all your pain
disappear.

But what I can do, is
listen.
Or, if...

They trudge along
in their
dirty,
old,
bulky
grey coats.
Mange-infested hair hidden by
itchy wool hats that reek of
loneliness.
 
They push along
all of their belongings
in a rusty old
shopping cart.
There’s not much there:
A hole-covered backpack,
some blankets,
and if they’re lucky,
a few bags of groceries.
 
I don’t know how they got there.
Did they flood their homes
with alcohol?
Did they drive away their families
with angry fists?
Or were they on the receiving end
of their spouses’...