" Selfishness is the only real atheism; aspiration, unselfishness, the only real religion ."
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States *
You know, there's a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit -- the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us -- the child who's hungry, the steelworker who's been laid-off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this -- when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers -- it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help.
Barack Obama, Current President of the United States **
Affluent
Urban
Homeless
Huddle
In
Their
Warm
Concrete
Tents
While
Others
Suffer
Thru
The
Frigid
Nights
Is this moral?
Is it ethical?
Author notes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=1757
http://www.local.com/results.aspx?keyword=Veterans+Organizations&location=Seattle+Wa
http://www.lyricsbay.com/tenting_tonight_on_the_old_campground_lyrics-unknown.html
For additional information on Homelessness, just click on these google links:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWO,RNWO:2008-24,RNWO:en&q=%3Chomelessness%3E
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWO,RNWO:2008-24,RNWO:en&q=%3CHomeless+youth%3E
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWO,RNWO:2008-24,RNWO:en&q=Homeless+Veterans
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWO,RNWO:2008-24,RNWO:en&q=Homeless+Families
See also:
* http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/franklin_d_roosevelt.html
For more information on Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt,
click on the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt
For more information on Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), just click on this google link:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWO,RNWO:2008-24,RNWO:en&q=%3CFranklin+Delano+Roosevelt%3E
** Quote from Pres. Barack Obama, is taken from this external Online Source:
www.wisdomquotes.com/003836.html
Minor editing done on 8/21/2008 DCK
In a list
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Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 22 of 22
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good
not normally something i would bother reading because of the layout but im glad i did because this was fantastic -
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Thank you for your comment and compliment for I do appreciate them. I do understand, the Bare Bones Poetry Style does not please everyone. I like writing in this style because it gives the reader the opportunity to use his/her imagination to fill in the 'special effects'/details. Thanks again.
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Thought provoking
Short and to the point, loved the ending
on morality and ethics.
Ps I'm glad you liked Alternative lifestyle.
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Thank you for your compliment; comments, and applause. I do appreciate them.
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Warm concrete tests I love it. It jumped out at me, Thank you for sharing it was a pleasure to read.
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Thank you for your comment; compliment, and applause. I do appreciate them.
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Powerful
Wow, you pacted such power within your words. So well chosen is each word and you placed them in perfection. I loved the final two questions, giving the reader an ending to truely think about.
Great work!
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Thank you. I've had friends who have been homeless. One evening, several years ago, I had a massive anxiety attack. I left my apt., and started walking I walked several miles, and it became dark and I was still walking, I was, for no appearent reason, terrified of boarding a bus. I fell asleep on the sidewalk near the gutter.
Woke up, and slept on on bus bench. Then continued walking, It lasted for almost 24 hours before the panic subsided enough that I could find my way back home.
I must have walked, not sure, 30 -40 miles that night. I needed to spend about a week or two in a Mental Health ward to recover from the experience, and get appropriate meds. To this day, I don't remember much detail about it. I have a great deal of empathy for the homeless.
We can spend millions/billions on high rise condos; sports stadiums, opera houses, and yet we persecute those who live in tent cities.
In my opinion, there is no excuse for the way some of our politicians and fellow citizens treat the homeless. I hope you had an opportunity to click on and read a couple of the footnotes. The novel, "Street Lawyer", by John Grisham, gives a very good description of the despicable way the homeless are treated in our society.
http://www.jgrisham.com/the-street-lawyer/
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i liked it
it was really nice!!! -
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Thank you, I appreciate the compliment.
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very good
i like it
being homeless, that is
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Ah, are you in your 'warm concrete tent', or freezing in the snow, as can happen in some cities? Thanks for the comments, compliment, and applause. I do appreciate them.
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very well done
your point shines
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Thank you for your comment; compliment, and applause. I do appreciate them.
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Well done and well said. I like the thoughts you come up with for these poems. Great job with this one.
Mike
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Sorry, for the delayed reply. Thank you for your comments; compliments, and applause. I do appreciate them.
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Brilliant!
Thank you for sharing!!!
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You are quite welcome. Thanks for the compliment, comment and applause. I do appreciate them.
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thought provoking
This work is very pointed. I find the single-word lines almost punctuation-like. Single thoughts that you have to manually tack together, causing you to realize the whole meaning. The sudden message makes one question the morality of causing people to live in such a manner. -
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Thank you for your most thoughtful; and reflective comment; and compliment. I do appreciate them.
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Short but it need not be longer.
Powerful statement here
I admire your thoughts
Thanks for sharing this
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Thank you for your comments; compliment and applause. I do appreciate them.
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