By Michael Tracey Santa Monica
I’ve been reading your paper since you began, and I know that you guys publish many different things from the community. You have also addressed homeless issues in Santa Monica. The following occurred to me at the intersection of Fourth Street and Pico Boulevard: Homeless Never saw a man moving so slow, One foot, then the other, nowhere to go But the other side and another street — Home is a sidewalk and sleep on your feet.
Little stops and starts, a jangle of junk, Necessary treasures wrapped up in a funk Of rags and bruises and thick matted hair — The Westside Shuffle is going nowhere.
A complicated story laden with psychology, Thoughts on fire burn psychopharmacology, Step after step, each closer to the end — And when night falls, where to sleep?
Survival of the fittest got you down, Arms hang heavy, legs claw the ground, I see you and forget and go about my day — And fail you once more as I drive away.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 16, 2004. Read the original PDF.