“Acknowledge”

The Contributor is a weekly nonprofit street newspaper distributed by homeless and formerly homeless citizens of Nashville, who keep all profits made from their sales. Acknowledge: An Anthology of Selected Poems from The Contributor is a new anthology collected from the best vendor-contributed poems which have appeared in the newspaper during the last seven years and published as a fundraiser for The Contributor. “Acknowledge” is the collection’s title poem.

Acknowledge

I don’t have a problem
with being homeless
others do,
say it in no uncertain
terms: spit, stare,
cross to the other side
of the street, hold their
children close when
I pass by.
I’m just trying
to make it.
I’m forced into a reality most refuse
to acknowledge.
Chased out of stores,
accused of petty theft,
burglary….
I stare them dead
in the face.
Smile.

Copyright (c) 2015 by The Contributor. All rights reserved. On October 3, 2015, at 7 p.m., Third Man Books will host “An Evening with Poets from The Contributor,” a poetry reading to launch Acknowledge: An Anthology of Selected Poems from The Contributor. The event is free; a copy of the book will be given to all donors who contribute $20 or more.