L is for the lunch nobody packed for me;
E is for the emptiness,
    not only of my stomach,
    but of my future;
N is for the nourisment I lack,
    physically, emotionally;
T is for the traffic flying past this street corner
    where I hold my worn cardboard sign that says,
    "Will trade my compassion for yours."

Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.