Artwork and poem by Natalie Heinitz, 131 YinD

Today I am grateful for shelter.

I am thankful for strong roofs and thick walls and dry clothes.

I am grateful for the option to step indoors,

to appreciate nature –

watch it, listen to it, fall asleep to it –

but not suffer from it.

Bricks and concrete,

glass panes and wood doors.

How quickly my love for nature could turn to misery

if not for shelter.

In my home I am victim only to the soothing swells of

heavy and heavier rain,

which at worst lure me into sulky spells

and at best soft sleep,

mindless to the millions of people living without shelter.

Shelter may not always be home,

but it is always a right,

to keep us from sweeping into chaos

and protect us when we shut the door for the night.

Read Natalie’s previous articles and contributions.