They choose to be homeless
Her words still replay in my head
Did they choose to sleep in shop doorways?
Giving up heat for icy streets in winter
Preferring the cold floor
Over a nice warm bed
Did anyone ever choose to beg for food?
Any food they could get
Foregoing the luxury of a trip to the supermarket
Musing over what they fancy for dinner tonight
Would anyone pick humiliation?
Sleeping on show for the world to see
And their worldly possessions
Fitting into one bag for life
Is this the easy life?
Homeless women facing rape
No walls or doors to protect
And she chose this, right?
Who wants to wake up
To a drunk urinating on them?
Or worse, in flames
Fair game to be set on fire.
Did they really choose this life?
Or does it make you feel better
To tell yourself this, to sleep at night
In your bed, with your walls
And your ceiling, your doors
And your cupboard stocked with food?
It's a last resort
Not a lifestyle choice