There were drinks and drugs everywhere…and I enjoyed the life.
No thinking of school or studying for me;
I thought I was fit for all the world to see. I said to myself,
I’m an up and coming vet, how much more lucky can I be.
I became lost in my world of self destruct, helpless fool you see;
and then at rock bottom, it suddenly dawned on me;
No one will hire you; you don’t have a place to sleep;
you are not clean, who will think you worthy of keep?
I did not see the burning bush, but I did see me sinking fast, and so
suddenly it occurred to me; that I must create a better past.
One that speaks to who I was born to be; and not one I tried to be
in an effort to prove that I could be free and different you see.
It’s been a long time since I picked up a book to study…
Far too long since I studied for a quiz, and exams,
Now I am calculating averages, and I know just what good grades
and references will mean to my becoming a new man.
It had been so long since I had a dream…that I know can come true
But I can still remember dwelling in a HELL of ignorance—
From which I am seeking a permanent Rescue.
It has been long enough–holding on to what should have been.
It has been not so long ago, that I lived the life of being
Rough AND TOUGH!
All the while
I watch other peers with much more potential
than I, Get SNUFFED!
I no longer believe that circumstances and situations control
my fate.
I know I have free will and coping skills to deal with
my ‘Stored-up Hate’
I am a NEW ME—I see a future full of Possibilities.
I’m back in school—learning lessons for my Pursuit
of Happiness.
I have learned lessons and now recognize blessings, as I
put on clean clothes, eat a warm breakfast, and set out
for school.
I can document life as a homeless– and walking dead person–
but that would serve no purpose here.
Now I can document the life of hope, taking each day at a time–
Clean AND Sober–Standing Tall and
BACK IN SCHOOL IN 2009
Sean has been a vendor for four months and is an active member of the Street Sense Writers’ Group. He graduated from a certificate program, and is now pursuing a Master’s Degree while homeless.
