Living in squalor
Housed together
No one sees
Nineteen years old,
His bedridden grandmother,
Or Great grandmother with dementia,
Eight year old brother,

Mother deceased,
Father unknown.
Grandmother lies dying,
Teen Grandson next of kin
Making end-of-life decisions
While DSS removes his brother
Some say all for the better;
Landlord evicts family
Teen-adult folds in tears.

Convicted by life chances 
And changing circumstances,
How, where, with whom
Does he start over when
Only the streets offer space
And companions who
Understand that life doesn’t
Always play fair.

It’s not my narrative,
But it’s our story,
Lives lived under same clouds,
Landing on different paths,
I am protected 
by opportunity.
Encountering his history
I ponder how knowing
This story might
change my life.