To have no home, no place to go
To be without—identity.
Nothing in a pocket
Shoes without laces
Time too much to spend
Grieving.
Hope hanging from a noose
In a stranger’s hand.
How does the heart survive?
Where is the kindness that kills
The dogs of war?
The fires have burned to ashes
Smoke rises without flame
And the future is a long, cold night lost
Alone.

Laurence Overmire is an actor/director/writer who has worked on stage, film and television from coast to coast.  He founded and produced The Writer's Lab in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization to foster quality writing in the entertainment industry.  Currently, he is developing a club act in Columbus, Ohio.