The Homeless Woman At Kolding Station Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

To live each day
with plastic bags of all that she has
To sleep each night without a bed
to lay down her head.
To eat and chew food
without toilet and a kitchen
for her plate, spoon and fork.
To put on the same dress
unwashed through all the seasons.
To sit on a bench, only talking
to herself as her only friend
must be a lonely journey
for this woman at the Kolding Station
whom we see everyday.

She is there even if we close our eyes.
She is there in the morning and evening
sitting and standing, walking or stopping
She is there with her plastic bags,
uncombed hair and tattered rugs
She is there night and day to remind us
of life`s simplicity and our common responsibility.