I Am A Face Of Poverty In America

By Marcee Lee Winthrop

I am a face of poverty in America

Pain etched through every line

Sorrow following close behind

Crooked and missing teeth, long neglected

No health or dental insurance in sight.

Eyes that can barely see without fuzziness

I am ashamed of how I look

Too embarrassed to smile

Aging much faster than I should

Falling to pieces, day by day.

Eating every day, but not nearly enough

Certainly not a balanced diet

I know I’m not healthy

Can’t afford a checkup

Can’t afford anything I need for proper care.

Right now without national health and dental care

I feel as if my government is telling me that:

I am an expendable soul

One that no one wants to notice

If they ignore me, maybe I’ll go away.

Regarded as one of ‘those people’

Labeled stupid, smelly, drunken, drugged-out,

Dirty, poor, lazy, homeless…to name a few.

But I know these labels aren’t true of me

Financially challenged, but yet intelligent,

Physically clean and not a drunk nor

do I take drugs

See how wrong some can be about the poor…

See how wrong some can be about me…

Written Monday January 26, 2009 at Panera Bread Co. (bakery/café) in Gainesville, Florida 

Why Are We Blamed For Our Poverty?

By Marcee Lee Winthrop

Why are we blamed for our poverty?

A lack of understanding and compassion is rampant

Yet, there are kind souls that put others before themselves

Rare are they, indeed, but very significant

Mother Teresa comes to mind.

Why are we blamed for our poverty?

Jesus said there would always be poor among you

Yet, he also said to treat others as you would want to be treated

One person that cares can make a difference.

Oscar Shindler comes to mind.

Why are we blamed for our poverty?

More and more people are experiencing it worldwide

Ones that thought it would never happen to them

What an eye-opener poverty can be!  

Next time you hear someone blame the poor

For their poverty,

Ask he or she when was the last time they

Gave anything to help the poor

Written Wednesday March 11, 2009 at Barnie’s Coffee and Tea Co. in Gainesville, Florida

Personal State Of Emergency

By Marcee Lee Winthrop

Suddenly…without a word

My husband left me with the bills

And no money to pay them.

The rent was due and he owed

Money to my daughter, too!

What were we going to do?

Declare a personal state of emergency!

So I tried to remain brave and calm

For my daughter’s sake, mostly.

Worry and stress, however, wouldn’t go away

As I tried my best to cruise through my day

And many nights I couldn’t sleep.

Why was I letting him get the best of me?

What were we going to do?

Declare a personal state of emergency!

Now, there was just too much at stake.

There would be a lot of risks to take.

This called for decisions only I could make.

 
We would start over again…brand new

And much better than before.

I called on every bit of courage I could muster

And sought help where I could find it.

It embarrassed me to ask…but our need was legit.

We would find our way out of the Viper’s pit!

Suddenly…a solution came to me

And very creative I began to be.

Started thinking outside the box.

Faced my own school of hard knocks.

All my possibilities lined up in a row

And pointed out the direction to go.

My potential was staring back at me.

Soon I would say goodbye…to my personal state of emergency.

Written Sunday March 22, 2009 at Barnie’s Coffee and Tea Co. in Gainesville, Florida