Right before I got out of jail
I began to cry deeply, I began to wail
Where am I going to stay, how can I survive?
I’d rather be here than the streets and try to strive
Then the answer came to me as I attended mass
It was my last Sunday there, my first at a bible class
And there was a flyer that offered to help any
People like me, now felons, of which there were many
I praised the man above for answering my prayer
For erasing my fears, for stripping at the layers
When I got out four days later my mind was at ease
Even though that flyer amounted to nothing but a tease
It wasn’t for me after all, I only went to jail
Those were for prisoners, those in life likely to fail
With only a token in hand I hopped on the trolley
No money on me, just the clothes on my back, indeed a folly
And went to the shelter I lived once before
Swallowing my pride for I wasn’t returning I once swore
While on the list to get in, I roamed around
The streets of San Diego, treating it as my playground
The parks, marinas, the colleges, all
and slept on their benches quite snugly, I’m not that tall
I coined the term urban camper to define
My time without shelter, though the homeless aren’t inclined
To acknowledge that it can be quite fun
Almost as exhilarating as life on the run
Two weeks from my release I finally became an intake
At St. Vincent’s where this time I’ve learned and won’t make the same mistake
Where once before I had a lot of carefree days there
This time I have a plan, I’m moving to foggy air
Save up some money while I also do research
Plan this all right, execute without a lurch
So if my timetable’s right on cue
I should be in San Francisco in time’s due
And give myself the gift of a lifetime