I wandered lone, no fixed abode,
The stars a roof on vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
Of people ringing Tesco’s tills,
Perusing products, oft Chinese,
Like swarms of busy, buzzing bees.
Continuous as the stars that shine,
Past high stacked shelves, down every aisle
They formed a greedy grasping line,
Drawn on by Tesco’s baited guile.
There seemed ten thousand at a glance,
Their minds lost in a shoppers’ trance,
Waving plastic cards to pay
Up later for their frenzied spree.
How could a homeless man be gay
In such a spendthrift company?
I gazed with envy, my sole thought:
They had great wealth, when I had naught.
Now oft upon my bench I lie
And brood upon my lack of luck.
I stare into a starry sky
And wonder where I came unstuck.
My sad heart with a yearning fills,
Wishing I could pay my bills.