A Man With Hopes And Dreams (Poverty) Poem by A. P. Hancock

Dedicated to All Our Homeless Friends Around the World

I saw my old friend Cal today, with the poor sign in his hand
He’d never tried that thing before, but all he had to do was stand
Stand on the corner while the Up and Outs, shrugged and passed him by
Stand with that certain look on his face, but with a tear behind his eye

It broke my heart to see him there, cause I knew it meant things were tough
Cal had his own kind of dignity, and this told me there wasn’t enough
He’d probably been some days without, that meal that got him through
He looked as bad as I’d ever seen, and it was time to get out of my pew

So I stopped and opened the door for him, and Cal hopped right on in
He said, “Doc I didn’t know that was you, how the world you been? ”
“I’ve been doing fine my Cal, but why are you with this out here? ”
He started that same old so and so, but I could see that hidden tear

It was that tear that helped me know, that Cal knew more than I thought
He knew of things folks didn’t think he did, cause he never had been taught
For in that tear I saw a man, and a life that was more than it seemed
Cause behind the tear he wouldn’t show, was a man with hopes and dreams