FEATURED VENDOR THE DREAM OF A HOMELESS PERSON BY JOHN ALEXANDER Several years ago, Denver VOICE Vendor John Alexander wrote The Dream of a Homeless Person. Recently, he added an update at the end of the poem. I WOKE UP THIS MORNING still fighting the fact that I have no home. Transient, indigent, I don’t have a key to anything that I can call my own. Looking at my shoes, frowning at my only change of clothes. I stayed there, I stayed here, where I’ll stay tonight only God knows. Hmm, it could be time for a shave, even a bath and some oral hygiene, too. The library restroom? No, maybe the truck stop over on 5th avenue. Well, now, I am getting kind of hungry, Where I’ll eat today, we’ll have to wait and see. Yesterday was breakfast from a restaurant dumpster, Lunch from a fast-food dumpster, And dinner from a grocery store dumpster. They were all the same to me. I will apply for some more jobs today, stop by a friend’s house, who said they had some money I could borrow. I am selling some plasma and cutting this lawn. Thank you, trust me, you’ll get it all back tomorrow. Everything today that I should do, will do, or can do is done. Since I still have time for it, I’ll enjoy the rest of the daylight, and take in some sun. Ahhhh, just feel the air. Look at the squirrels, the birds, why even all the beautiful women seem to be out. Hey, Hey, Hey, romance and sex is something right now, I can’t afford to think about. PHOTO BY BRUCE TANG ON UNSPLASH Well, it is getting cool. Soon it will be dark and cold again. Wherever I sleep tonight, I hope is better than where I slept last night, or anywhere else I’ve been. But tonight, I’ll go sleep with the same thought as every night before. That I’ll wake up tomorrow with a key to my house, and be homeless, no more! TODAY: DREAMS DO COME TRUE! Every word of every thought in this poem is true, and I lived them all. I have been homeless and on the street for 33 years! Sixteen years ago, I put these words together and organized my thoughts. Fifteen years ago, from those words, I wrote this poem. Today, I especially like these words in the last part of the poem, “But tonight, I’ll go to sleep with the same thought as every night before. That I’ll wake up tomorrow with a key to my house, and be homeless, no more!” For years, I have kept those words of that dream close to my heart every night. Well, today, I want to share with all of you, Dreams Do Come True! I woke up this morning, August 11, 2022, with an apartment of my own and a key to that apartment of my own. Both, belonging to me! ■ HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. 1 4 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductible. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 193 | Denver, CO 80201 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. @denverVOICE 2 ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. September 2022 DENVER VOICE 3
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