Allegra Bortoni, Grade 12
UWC Costa Rica

As the sun rises I feel a soft stroke on my hair,
My mother’s kind eyes silently stare, as we cuddle together to fight the cool morning air.
Surrounded by an old quilt, a few stains here and there,
We get up and stroll away, and so it starts our day. 

We go around the local shops, asking if there’s something to spare,
Where we get awful glances, nothing new to bear.
Half a loaf of stale bread is what we get to share. 

We have tried to do our best, I promise we really have,
Minimum wage sounds promising, yet it’s still become afar.
My mother is filled with skill, and I’ve become her apprentice,
But to us, each chance is refused. Always denied our presence

So as we return to our common corner, we cautiously walk away.
Someone has made an “adjustment” in our preferred alleyway.
Decorative iron spikes and spines have recently been located,
Whose only aim and claim is to make our life more complicated.

Citation
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/23/anti-homeless-spikes-inhumane-defensive-architecture​