Street Sleeper

A few days back, I allowed my self to envision
  the possibility of experiencing the next stage of poverty.

Yesterday, poverty came to me
  dressed in the garb of a friend, woman, teacher.

Her spirit's sorrow lept at me from a block away.
  She was pulling for breath, but life portioned it only in small gasps.

This day was particularly hard.
  The migraine came yesterday and she had no medicine to stop its rampage.

But, still she had to work, for she couldn't afford to lose the
  $300/week income upon which she and her partner barely subsist.

Sometime during that migraine, her glasses broke,
  leaving her sightless and without recourse to buy a new pair.

Nor could she drive to an eye doctor in her home-on-wheels,
  because on her birthday last Sunday, her driver's license expired.
  She can't renew it because she can't afford to pay the fee.

Now, she drives to the place where she and her partner sleep
  for the night, and then back to work...
  fearful that she might be pulled over, lose her right to drive,
  or have her home-on-wheels impounded...

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, a vendor mistakenly withdrew more money
  from her bank account than she had - after she had canceled the service.

The overdraft cost her another $35 and caused a cascade of bounced-checks
  which caused further overdrafts and charges...

So, she came to work
  with a migraine and no glasses, and no money for dinner...