Hiding In The Suburbs Poem by Donal Mahoney

Drive around almost any city
and you will find the homeless
napping on a bench.

Folks who drive to church on Sunday
often view the homeless as litter
the other six days of the week.

They want the government
to sweep them off the streets.
But some of the homeless

hide in the suburbs where
relatives take them in
until they make them go

live with other relatives
until the relatives run out.
The skills of a bird watcher help

identify the homeless
in the suburbs who can be
seen on weekday mornings

sitting in McDonald's over coffee.
Their attire may lack panache
and they may not have a briefcase

but the homeless in the suburbs,
unlike their brethren in the cities,
are not considered litter in the streets.