A Glimmer of Hope and Light

My breath pours out 

Dancing in the cold air.

I sit, lonely and sad

In complete despair. 

I look at my breath 

As it leaves my mouth.

Hanging in the air

Ghost like floating about.

It’s so cold I can’t move

I can’t feel my fingers or toes.

The saddest thing is I’m here

All alone - and nobody knows. 

Sat in my sanctuary - my home

With windows that sparkle with ice.

You’d think it looks pretty 

But with no heat - it’s a sacrifice.

A tear falls from my eye 

And I hang my head low.

What if I die here

And nobody knows. 

My heart hurts so much

With pain I’ve not known. 

Sat in one chair it’s become

Like a poisonous throne.

I can’t afford heat

And I can’t afford food. 

I sit and wonder 

How would my life be viewed. 

When we say the word home

It conjures an image of warmth. 

Not a cold, lifeless place

Soulless and forlorn.

The silence is deafening 

The TV a blank box.

Beyond that dark screen 

An ironic paradox. 

The light slowly fades 

And I know it will get colder.

This isn’t what I dreamt of

When I envisaged getting older. 

As the darkness creeps 

across the icy cold room.

I know it’s going to get 

so much colder soon.

I clasp my hands together

And look up towards the Lord. 

Praying for the heat

That I just can’t afford. 

If tonight is my last night

On this lowly earth.

I pray that my life

At least held some worth. 

Darkness surrounds me 

And the coldness is biting.

So I draw my freezing body 

Under the blankets in hiding. 

Please let me live

Survive this bitterly cold night.

Please let tomorrow 

Bring a glimmer of hope and light. 

J C Hicks copyright © 

16.12.22