I was sitting in a sleek, dog-themed coffee shop writing about the homeless when a homeless woman I somewhat recognized from the neighborhood walked inside. I say somewhat because almost every other time of our encounters, she was sitting on the sidewalk, curb or doorway of some business surrounded by her possessions, which amounted to two shopping bags and a sleeping bag. I never once heard her speak. She always appeared vacant and exhausted. It was impossible to guess her age.
This reminds me of a poem I wrote a couple of years ago which you may not have seen:
ODE TO TACO BELL, EUGENE, OREGON
Respite from the streets & riverbanks
Ad hoc gathering spot for those in the know
How could corporate sales engineers have foreseen
the value of $1 grilled breakfast burritos
to this transient population getting by on good buys
their shopping carts parked outside like cars
Tables & chairs draped with backpacks canes wrappers
Two Chicanas in the kitchen shout Spanglish
like it’s their own taquería,
filling grilled burritos with choice of potato, sausage or bacon
as well as unmeasured generosity
to carry breakfast bellies over to lunch
& maybe dinner too.
They buy a lot
Eat slowly
Savor the warmth as they
sprinkle salt & pepper in
the dining rooms of their minds.
Full array of condiments & napkins grace the tables
Creamy mystery sauce squirted from plastic packets sticks to the ribs
Diners pat their lips as bellies wobble with fullness
So much pomp under the circumstance
It’s such a grey day . . .
I don’t think I’ll do anything,
proclaims greybeard Space Trucker
to no one in particular as he fingers a thin plastic rain poncho
waiting patiently to punch in the door code on his receipt
& freshen up in Restrooms ¬For Customers Only
O oasis of cheap tasty eats —
Refuge of infirm panhandlers, street musicians
& able-bodied tramps alike
Destination for loose-change backpack vagabonds —
You cater to no-budget wayfarers
& intrepid travellers of all stripes & types —
You fill rumbling bellies
& bestow dignity upon the unseen
who will soon scatter out of sight
well before the morning rush.
Alex Balogh