2/1/2024

Homeless Diaries | February 2024

There are times when the whole Earth can't hold me, I can't find the sense to endure another day, I don't have the courage to wait for the next one to dawn. You know why? Because you will wake up in the morning in your bed to the warmth of sheets, to walls of the house that scream safety, to a full fridge and the ability to choose a breakfast from at least three options. I have none, for me when the day dawns, it feels like one more hassle, like a weight on my back invisible that I don't know when it will make the final move to knock me down once and for all. I know it may feel when you listen to me, you may feel like you are listening to the words of a madman, but we on the road are not madmen we are the oppressed, the most damaged, the ones who have no choice, the only choice is survival or collapse. No article will be written about us, our own lives cost nothing, we won't even have a decent death in our final moments. It will sound strange, but could you imagine a night without nightfall or a morning without dawn? The answer is no. But I can imagine it, because I have felt the day rob me of my hopes and dreams, rob me of raising my daughter with dignity, rob me of warmth in Winter and coolness in Summer, rob me of food and rob me of my life, the one I imagined I could have when I was young. I can imagine life without me; I have seen life flow without me. What I can't understand is a huge "why" written in the boldest and largest letters and topped off with "why me", why don't I deserve a chance at life? A ticket to a better life, not the one in the commercials and TV spots. The one at a table with friends, with laughter, songs and wine.

- Woman in Homelessness

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