I received this poem from Roth Frias today. He has been on and off homeless for several years.
"Christmas day, all day snow, all day sheltered in the chapel of the mission. 5:00 chapel sermon, missing family in was hard not to weep. I wasn't alone. Many of us had no choice, we stayed. Showing tears was the only reason you could run out for a sec. Some braved it out and wept. Wasn't the saddest day of my life but it was hard. This poem was written for Christmas Day."
DECEMBER SNOW
For all the lonely people
who seeks company in December snow
We mingle in church and meetings
With~out the song of conversation
When words fill the air
laughter radiates in my mind
It is time
to reveal a smile
knowing it is lost
in the crowd
I am safe and secure
for if I cry
it will be lost
in air filled words
In this empty
crowded room
January 24, 2014
Providence Rescue Mission
Cranston, RI