Ray, United States.

I was your care giver, your son, watching you struggle and hurt. We were suppose to make a clothing brand,
Be creative together
Create something together,
but you decided to end your life and now its only me.

You were my dad and you were my job,
My support and my federally funded income,
and now it’s me and this home, This place full of memories. But it doesn’t want me anymore,
Because I can’t afford to keep breathing here,
You evicted your life and now I am evicted from our home.

I want to create, I want to be a creative.
But I need need to survive, too.
I don’t know how it happened, because it was fast but here I am right on Market Street.

I have Carly with me though, and she keeps me company.
She’s always been loyal to me, but she gets scared.
She’ll bark and cry if she starts feeling alone.
Does she feel your loss? Can she feel mine too?

I wasn’t suppose to be here, but I am. Yes, please. I will accept your food. Yes, please. I will accept your change. No, I am not mentally ill.
and No, I am not shooting up.
I just can’t afford to exist right now.

But I would rather live on the street, than to not live at all.
Love thy neighbor, thy brother, thy sister - but not if they're homeless, right?

Not if I am begging for food to survive and you can’t look me in the eyes

Not if I’m dirty because I have no safe space to shower
No, I can be judged. It happens everyday.
I look at you and you look away.