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A Renhai by Janice Thomson (jt) & Vaughn Seward (vs)

Up-turned cap —
a coin tossed in evokes
a solemn, "Thanks." /vs

A blanket under the tree — /vs
close by, a tattered coat. /jt

Street corner —
he begs for dog food,
pups at his feet. /jt

Archive Id: 120
Janice Thomson: Canada
Vaughn Seward: Canada
Written:: January 26-30, 2009

Theme: Homeless
Season: All Season
Kigo: Sleeping outside
Verse Form: 2-3-2, 3-3, 2-3-2 (Rhythm)
Process: Forward

Links 1/2: Article of clothing (Coat / Cap).
Links 2/3: Close by (Coat / Pups).
Links 3/1: Asking.

Notes: Where Janice lives a lot of the homeless folks have animals in tow and they often ask for dog food. Money given to them is commonly used to obtain alcohol, drugs or personal items. Hence, the public has learned to buy them dog food rather than giving them money. Invariably, there are always puppies as a way to attract attention. Many homeless are quite often kids who have rebelled at their families. They work the streets all year long, making hundreds of dollars a day since Vancouver Island is a popular tourist attraction and the weather is not often below zero (0C, or 32F) in the winter. A busy street with its businesses and customers is their "home" for many weeks at a time until they are forcibly removed by the police, whereupon another street is chosen and the cycle continues. It is often hard to tell who the real "homeless" are since they too have learned that working the streets in a tourist town can be quite lucrative.