Deus ex machina: Moments

There was never a moment
when I chose to be hungry.
There was never a moment
when I chose to sleep under a bridge
huddled with strangers for warmth
in the cold London night. 

There was never a moment
when I chose to be sick.
There was never a moment
when I chose to be scared
so terrified at the face staring back
from windows I passed in the day.

There was never a moment
where I chose poverty.
There was never a moment
when I chose an easy option
of a hand held out
asking for help.

There was never a moment
when I chose this as a ‘lifestyle’.
There was never a moment
when I chose to crush down my pride
for I knew no other way
nor felt nor saw alternatives.

There were only ever moments
of feeling adrift in solitary confinement.
There were only ever moments
of feeling alone, lost
among crowds
among seas of faces never seeing me.

There are only moments
to choose from and remember.
There are only ever moments
that flood my senses
as my cold breath condenses
against the cold air about me.

These are only moments
and there will be more yet to come.
Those will only be moments
and some will burn with passion
and some will burn with pain.
But all will be more, or less, the same.

Deus ex machina is available to buy here on Amazon Kindle for £0.99, or here in multitude of formats on Smashwords and, in the spirit of this new social literary experience and community collaboration, you can determine how much you would like to pay. A proportion of all profit will be donated to charity