A House of One's Own

(a poem for Jimmy) (Carter)

There was a man
Who worked for the phone company
Who lived in a house with his mommy and daddy
With a wife and two kiddie
He said woe is me, life is heavy,
Would humanity build a house
and please give me the key

There was a woman
And one kiddie,
Alone since pregnancy
Who waited years for a honey
And followed him into a new country
but he became a bad hubby quickly
And said good-bye rather abrubtly
Fend for yourself, said he,
I need a new wify.

She got some rags and cleaned many a potty
Called herself a cleaning company
And of many a jean wore out the knee
And then cried mercy, some relief please, from misery,
For the child and her, some peace and safety
A shelter from humanity

There was a dice, and it was flippy
It landed on the man's side, they said sorry honey
A hand up, not a hand out, today we re-define poverty
Come back another day or see the bankie,
This man and his family
need their SUV

End of story.

A. Travestey

- "Habitat For Humanity" is a Christian Ministry started by Jimmy Carter and administered by a network of local chapters across the world. The Ministry "believes that every family on earth should have at least a simple, decent place to live. Implied in that bold goal is that the "simple, decent place" is in a "suitable living environment." (*"More Than Houses"-Millard Fuller, World Publishing, page 54).