From the Anthology
Writing from the Unhoused
So two days before Christmas, this shit was blanketed in
snow and I’m fucked for real.. Picture it: the streets deserted,
the buildings looking like silent sentinels against the dark
sky, and me, Malcolm, trudging through the icy wasteland,
feeling more alone than ever.
The cold gnawed at me, sinking its teeth into my bones
with each step. My boots, worn and tattered, offered little
protection against the biting chill, and my gloves, long gone,
left my fingers stiff and numb. But still, I pressed on, driven
by the faint hope of finding refuge at the shelter.
As I approached, my heart quickened with anticipation. The
shelter, with its warm lights and promise of safety, seemed
like a beacon in the freezing night. But as I reached the
entrance, that hope was extinguished in an instant. A sign
hung on the door, illuminated by the dim glow from within:
“No Vacancy.”
I stood there, staring at those words as if they were a death
sentence. The bitter wind whipped through the empty
streets, carrying with it a sense of despair that seemed to
seep into my very soul. I pressed my freezing fingers against
the glass, peering inside at the lucky few who had found
shelter for the night.
Inside, the scene was chaotic. People huddled together for
warmth, their faces drawn and weary. The air was thick with
the smell of sweat and unwashed bodies, a grim reminder of
the harsh reality we all faced. And there I was, outside in the
cold, with nowhere else to turn.
I stumbled away from the shelter, feeling defeated and
hopeless. The snow crunched beneath my feet, each step
a painful reminder of my own desperation. I wandered
aimlessly through the streets, my breath coming out in
ragged puffs of steam as I searched for some semblance of
solace.
But the city offered no respite, no shelter from the storm
raging within me. I found myself in a desolate alleyway,
surrounded by towering buildings that seemed to close in
on me from all sides. The wind howled through the narrow
space, sending trash tumbling like tumbleweeds in a ghost
town.
I sank to my knees in the snow, feeling the weight of despair
pressing down on me like a leaden blanket. Tears froze on my
cheeks as I gazed up at the starless sky, feeling utterly alone
in a world that had turned its back on me.
And then, in the silence of that frozen night, something
shifted within me. A spark of defiance, a glimmer of hope
amidst the darkness. I rose to my feet, determination flooding
through my veins like a wildfire.
I may have been alone, I may have been cold and hungry, but
I refused to let despair consume me. With each step, I vowed
to fight, to claw my way out of the darkness and into the light.
And though the road ahead was long and treacherous, I knew
that as long as I held onto that flicker of hope, I would never
truly be alone.
