It rained all day 

But I had to get out of the house, either way 

I strolled the neighborhood, alone, at night

In the rain-sleet

I wore my heated gloves and layers

Just to walk a few blocks on repeat 

I held my umbrella strong, like a tennis player 

A few forlorn Christmas trees hugged the curb 

While a scraggly rat scurried across someone’s lawn undisturbed 

I pondered people’s net worths by the Zillow prices of their homes

And the MSRP of the vehicles in the driveway 

All the while, inside TVs played

From a superdome somewhere 

Footballs get tossed

And I don’t care 

It’s ironic that expensive stuff screams the opposite 

The modern consumer becomes more of a slave the more he or she gets

I turned to see the rat tuck below the Christmas tree 

The rain and the sleet were dripping

The next house down had a pristine white door

No clutter or decorations on the porch 

No car in the driveway

I wondered if the people were poor 

There was just a small plush red heart hanging from the door

I watched as a small group of people, umbrellas in hand, approached 

One stopped at the curb and laid hers over the rat and the Christmas tree 

She noticed me, said, “We came back to get more coats!”

On her way out, she handed me a hot chocolate 

She said, “Follow us down the road to the little pocket – underneath the overpass”

As the rain came down, just a few cars passed 

That group from the heart-door house went to the homeless camp and gave hot chocolate and coats out 

There was no waste 

Strangely enough, there was warmth in that space

And finally, the rain gave way