Will They Remember? Poem by Daleen Enslinstrydom

When the summer and its warmth are back,
will they remember
the winter and its casualties?

Will the flowers that perished off
sprout again
or will they be like you forgotten
without anybody ever knowing your name?

When did you get lost
and when did you fade
into the cracks of society?

I have witnessed the brokenness in your eyes
and the winter chill around your heart
when words were falling harshly.

I have witnessed your begging hands,
your dirty clothes
and I wonder if you once had been
a son, a father
with soft hands and clean clothes
but now all people have forgotten you.

The blanket around your shoulders is heavy
and I have seen tears staining your cheeks.

Have you ever prayed through the night
and hoped for a new day
while the cardboard bed was too thin
to keep out the cold?

Did your mind sometimes wander off
to your family and to another kind of life
and will the people that had loved you at a time
understand what it feels like to be broken,
how it feels when life turns its back on a person?

Today I witnessed an ambulance taking you away,
at the mortuary they washed your hair,
cleaned you up and stripped you bare
and the newspaper only said
that they did find you in the park.

The birds were singing
and your place is empty
without anybody knowing your name.

Will anyone remember you?