THE SIMPLE LIFE

A cardboard box is my home,
I sweat in summer,
And freeze in winter,
I grieve and suffer alone. 

You show your polite disdain,
Not looking my way,
Eyebrows slightly raised,
Smug in your greater domain. 

Oft you thank your lucky star,
For being not I,
For having much more,
Nothing your image to mar. 

Though not created the same,
I have the same dreams,
Have the same longings,
Same passion for luck and fame.

If there be a life to come,
May rank be equal
And substance be just,
For all and not just for some. 

Erwin Schalm