A reminder to help those in need during Lent.

Originally appeared in the Irish Independent.

14 DECEMBER 2011

What is it like to be homeless? Most people never even ponder such a question.

Craig is a homeless poet who writes his long poems on the pavement near the Molly Malone statue outside Trinity College’s walls. I walked by Craig about one year ago. I handed him a one-euro coin and he gave me a sheet with the following lines. Craig titled it: ‘The Law of Attraction’.

“The only time that you should look down on someone,

Is when you are helping them up,

And I’m not just talking of a beggar with a cup.

I ran my own business for many happy years,

Until bankruptcy left me with nothing but tears.

You lose your job, can’t pay the rent,

End up on the streets or even a tent.

I’ll be the first to hold up my hands to say,

That I’ve made my fair share of mistakes along the way.

I’m not a saint but I’m certainly no sinner,

I’m just doing my best to be a winner.

Not all homeless people are lazy or workshy,

Afraid of finding a job or even bothering to try,

But everybody deserves a second chance in life,

To find a job, a home, even children and wife.

And there is always hope, or so it seems,

So never give in or abandon your dreams.

Always stay positive in everything you do,

The answer to your problems lies within you.

If you firmly believe it, you can surely achieve it.

Tough times don’t last forever but tough people do,

Your dreams and your destiny are all up to you.

These are my words, I write here for you today,

I hope you will find some comfort in them today.”

Poem by ‘Craig’. Letter by Craig Considine, PhD candidate
Department of Sociology,
Trinity College, Dublin