David Palethorpe

I’m not a beggar or a thief

Or a tinker or a tailor

I don’t wander the streets

Committing heinous crimes

All it is that I seek

Is a warm bed –

Something to eat

I’m not a cowed, a broken man

Who does not have a story

I have a past like everyone

My past was one of glory

Of comrades now who’ve gone

Destroyed by their loyalty

To an ungrateful nation

Who abandoned us once home

I fought the fight endure the pain

And yes I’d do it all again

So please when you walk on by

Don’t simply judge me –

By where I lie

For just like you I have a soul

My pride and self-respect remain

And while we may not be the same

You may think I’ve paid my dues

And always remember –

I am a human just like you